‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Author Vance Wins Unexpectedly Competitive Senate Race in Ohio

Mark Niquette
·3 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Republican venture capitalist JD Vance defeated Democratic Representative Tim Ryan in an unexpectedly competitive Ohio US Senate contest, preventing what would have been a stunning blow to the GOP’s efforts to win control of the chamber.

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Vance, 38, backed by former President Donald Trump, beat Ryan in his first bid for public office, according to television networks NBC and ABC. He will replace retiring Republican Senator Rob Portman in January.

Republicans initially considered the Ohio seat to be safe in their efforts to win a Senate majority. But after signs of trouble in polls and fundraising, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and other outside GOP groups marshaled almost $40 million in ads to steady Vance, according to data compiled by AdImpact.

Ryan, 49, ran a campaign that blurred the lines between the two parties. He was willing to criticize fellow Democrats, shunned President Joe Biden on the campaign trail and emphasized his support for Trump on issues such as trade that turned once reliable blue-collar Ohio Democrats away from the party. Ryan portrayed Vance as an out-of-touch millionaire who is too extreme for Ohio.

But Vance and his allies waged a relentless campaign against Ryan saying his voting record in near lock-step with Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi belied his rhetoric on the campaign trail or the image he portrayed in his $40 million worth of ads.

“Our campaign is premised on this very simple idea that so long as we tell the truth, and so long as the people of Ohio are aware of what I believe in and what my opponent has done, we’re gonna win,” Vance said in a Sept. 19 appearance at the Ohio Trucking Association’s annual conference near Columbus.

Vance, author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” won a crowded GOP primary after he captured Trump’s endorsement despite once being a vocal critic of the former president. In 2016, he called Trump “noxious” and described himself as a “never Trump guy” who “never liked him.”

But Vance said he changed his opinion of Trump after seeing his performance in office, and Trump said he was willing to overlook Vance’s past criticism because he thought the venture capitalist had the best chance to win. Trump staged three rallies in Ohio for Vance, including the day before the election and before the state’s May 3 GOP primary.

Vance waged a primary campaign appealing to Trump supporters on culture war issues and even being willing to risk alienating the state’s large Ukrainian-American population by saying he cared more about the southern US border than the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

He emphasized his hardscrabble upbringing with promises to bring new leadership to Washington, restore US manufacturing, stop the flow of undocumented immigrants and drugs at the border, and support foreign policy that “puts America first,” invoking Trump’s platform.

Democrats did poorly on pocketbook issues in Ohio, according to a CNN exit poll. Inflation caused severe or moderate hardship for 74% of Ohio voters. The economy was viewed as not so good or poor by 75% of voters, and excellent or good by only 23%.

Biden’s policies were seen as hurting the country by 52% of respondents, while 34% said they were helping and 11% believed they made no difference.

--With assistance from Bill Allison.

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