JD Vance is famous for writing the 2018 book Hillbilly Elegy which was also made into a film in 2020.
Now he is running for the US Senate for Ohio, after announcing last week that he wants to retake the country from corrupt politicians and the extreme left.
Vance will be running in the state’s GOP primary to fill the seat left vacant by Senator Rob Portman, who will be retiring.
Vance’s main competitors are Marine vet Josh Mandel, former state Republican head Jane Timken, and businessmen Mike Gibbons and Bernie Moreno.
Although he was against Trump in 2016, Vance has changed his mind on that and now says Trump was right and he was wrong.
“The elites actually don’t care about this country and use insults to shut us up” #JDforOhio
pic.twitter.com/yv7VgD0MOd— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) July 2, 2021
A Dedicated Campaign
With months trekking across Ohio to reach as many voters as possible in prep for his campaign, Vance will be a leading contender to fill Portman’s seat.
His Senate launch was attended by a few hundred folks at a factory in Middleton, Ohio, a hardworking blue-collar steel community where Vance grew up.
As his family looked on and loved ones attended in the crowd, Vance promised not to tear up. He talked about his love for America and the God-fearing folks who supported him every step of the way during a hard childhood and adolescence.
In particular, Vance talked about his Mamaw who taught him the hard lessons of life and held him to a high standard so he would become a success.
It’s clear that Vance is not playing around here.
Despite a fair bit of skepticism from the liberal media, this man is in it to win it.
Vance’s Background Speaks to Americans
Vance’s book is about growing up in Middletown along with many Kentucky folks who moved there to get better jobs than back home in the surging steel industry.
Now, it’s just a ghost of its former self, but the image of this young man speaking in a factory in Middletown is powerful.
A Marine Corps veteran, loving dad, dedicated patriot and skilled lawyer deciding to come home and go through the work to serve his community is an example of what makes America great.
Despite his past issues with Trump, Vance is the obvious MAGA candidate here by a country mile.
His opponent, Josh Mandel, was supporting Marco Rubio in 2016; Timken-backed Ohio fruit loops liberal John Kasich and Moreno referred to Trump as a “maniac” in the past.
"If you’re fighting the American nation state, if you’re fighting the values and virtues that make this country great, then the conservative movement should be about nothing if not reducing your power and if necessary destroying you." – @JDVance1 pic.twitter.com/qekbxo5h9Z
— Center for the American Way of Life (@CenterForAWL) May 18, 2021
Can Vance Really Win?
If you want to talk numbers and money, Vance is fully in this race. PayPal founder Peter Thiel has given $10 million to a PAC backing Vance and he’s got donors lining up nationally.
The main challenge for Vance is to get known quickly. He’s still fairly unknown as a political figure; he needs to boost his profile and get on as many talk shows and political programs as possible – as much as possible.
Candidates like Mandel are heavy hitters and know how to play dirty politics, so Vance better come prepared for some political brawling as well.
