‘Hillbilly Elegy’ author J.D. Vance announces bid for U.S. Senate in hometown of Middletown

“This town made me who I am,” Vance said.

During his speech preceding the announcement, the Middletown High School, Ohio State and Yale law school graduate discussed his views on big tech, abortion rights, the COVID-19 response, elections and the situation at the southern border. He also stressed that he wants to support working Americans.

“America isn’t working as well for a lot of people as it did for me,” he said.

The “Hillbilly Elegy” author had already told associates, according to an Axios story in April, he planned to run for the seat being vacated in 2022 by Sen. Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati. Portman announced in January he will not seek a third Senate term.

The current Senate race field is led by former Ohio treasurer Josh Mandel, who according to polling leads the crowded Republican race. In a poll commissioned by his campaign, Mandel leads the crowd of candidates.

Former Ohio GOP chair Jane Timken is second in polling. In a poll commissioned by her campaign, Timken is closing in on that lead.

Other declared Republicans include investment banker and 2018 Senate candidate Mike Gibbons, retired Army Chief Warrant Officer Michael Leipold, car dealership owner Bernie Moreno and IT executive Mark Pukita.

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Nilles, is the only declared Democrat in the 2022 U.S. Senate race, though others are considering a bid.

Vance vaulted to national attention in 2016 with the publication of “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” a New York Times best seller that offered insight into the struggles of America’s white working class. The book came out just as Donald Trump seized the GOP presidential nomination with a platform that appealed to white working class voters who felt left behind.

Early in 2020, Vance founded the Narya Capital fund in Cincinnati. Previously, Vance was managing partner of the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, a $150 million early-stage fund.