The author of the bestseller Hillbilly Elegy is in Washington, D.C. this week meeting with top Republicans wanting him to run for Senate in Ohio. The candidate previously favored by the GOP was Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel, who abruptly ended his campaign last week citing his wife’s newly diagnosed health issues.
According to reports, Vance has met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell about running as the challenger to Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.
However, Vance is not the only one Senate Republicans have floated as a potential candidate. Ohio Rep. Jim Renacci is still considering running for the seat. The only other candidate at this point is Ohio businessman Mike Gibbons.
Vance comes ready-made with a certain level of name recognition due to the success of Hillbilly Elegy, which is being made into a movie directed by Ron Howard.
While Vance’s book and other writings show a great deal of understanding and sympathy for Trump voters in Ohio, whom he would have to win over, he has expressed dismay over the President’s rhetoric, calling it “not in the best interest of the party or the country.”
The Ohio primary is scheduled for May 8.
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