‘Hillbilly’ to Capitol Hill? Author eyes Senate bid in Ohio

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) — “Hillbilly Elegy” author J.D. Vance helped explain to the nation Donald Trump’s popularity among the Appalachian working class. Now he’s trying to decide whether he can win over those voters and other Republicans in his native Ohio. At 36, Vance says he is “thinking seriously” about running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Rob Portman in 2022. Vance hasn’t run for office before and lacks the statewide political network of the former state party chair and former Ohio treasurer already in the race. But Vance has demonstrated an ability to raise big money.