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“Hillbilly Elegy” Author Decides Against Senate Run in Ohio
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – The author of the 2016 election-year best seller “Hillbilly Elegy” has decided against joining the U.S. Senate race in Ohio.
J.D. Vance said in a tweet Friday he’s busy with investment work, a nonprofit he started to help address Ohio’s opioid crisis, and a young family. So, he wrote, “count me out of politics for now.”
The Middletown, Ohio, native has been a popular talk show guest for his insights into Donald Trump’s white working-class support. Some Republicans encouraged him to run after GOP Treasurer Josh Mandel recently dropped his Senate bid because of his wife’s health. That had left Cleveland banker Mike Gibbons as the leading contender to face Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, then fourth-term GOP congressman Jim Renacci decided to run for Senate instead of governor.