J.D. Vance, bestselling author and investor, officially launched his campaign on Thursday for the U.S. Senate, joining an already crowded and growing field.
“You have leaders of this country, in government and in business, who don’t think they owe anything to the country that made them who they are,” Vance said to a crowd of supporters.
While focusing on a theme of advancing the country and community that made him who he is, Vance made the announcement in Middleton, Ohio — his hometown and largely the setting of his bestselling book Hillbilly Elegy.
According to Vance’s campaign website, his campaign will focus on running as a conservative and an outsider — a theme central to President Donald Trump’s rise to the presidency. Specifically, in speaking engagements, Vance has focused on bringing manufacturing jobs back to Ohio, a core of Ohio towns like Middletown.
“Ohio needs a true conservative in the U.S. Senate. It needs someone who understands how our economic and government leaders conspire to make life harder for normal Americans,” Vance describes while pitching himself to voters on his website.
Each of the candidates in the race, including Vance, has attempted to attract President Trump’s endorsement. The majority of candidates attended Trump’s recent rally in the state — where candidate Jane Timken was booed by the crowd of the president’s supporters.
Vance was also in attendance, even though President Trump did not mention him while taking an informal poll of the crowd. Vance posted a picture on Twitter with the caption, “Hanging with my dad at the Trump rally!”
Hanging with my dad at the Trump rally! pic.twitter.com/MOKAFvJqhl
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) June 26, 2021
The GOP race for the open Senate seat is expected to draw national attention and become increasingly expensive. Candidate Josh Mandel entered the contest with close to $4 million in the bank from a previous unsuccessful run for Senate. Both Timken and Mike Gibbons have each raised millions to spend.
Before even announcing his candidacy, Vance secured a $10 million investment from Peter Thiel, a tech billionaire and early supporter of President Trump.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for the Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
