'What America needs right now': Rally goers react to Vance Middletown visit after VP nod

Jul. 22—Middletown native Sen. JD Vance's visit to Middletown High School on Monday attracted hundreds of rally goers eager to hear the vice presidential candidate speak.

Many attendees waited hours to get into the venue, with more than 100 opting to listen to the speech through an audio speaker outside when the high school auditorium reached capacity.

A group of three Middletown women said they began to queue outside of the school around 9:30 a.m., finally entering the school just before 1:30 p.m.

Amber Gray, Cherice Perry and Donna Cope were clad in memorabilia supporting Donald Trump and were excited to listen to Vance's speech.

"We were glad to hear he was chosen and we're happy to have a fresh, young person," Perry said. "I think (Trump and Vance) are going to be a good team and be for the people."

Gray agreed, adding, "They have a great chemistry together."

While walking to get in line for the rally, Paul Combs of Middletown was carrying his copy of "Hillbilly Elegy," Vance's 2016 memoir, which highlights Vance's life growing up with family whose Appalachian Kentucky values shaped his upbringing.

Vance, 39, was raised in Middletown and his story also examines the socioeconomic and social problems of his hometown.

"I lived that story," Combs said, holding the book up.

Combs was born in Jackson, Kentucky, moving to the Middletown area when he was a toddler.

"It's very ravaged with poverty, so anyone who could pull themselves up by the bootstraps to get out of those hills and make something of themselves, like my father and mother did and like Vance's grandparents did, that really resonates with me," he said.

Middletown resident Connie Griffis said she's also read Vance's memoir, but she has a different take on the book and its author.

"I have read his book several times," Griffis said. "When I first read it all I thought was 'Why is he so bitter about Middletown, Ohio?'"

Griffis is a Democrat and attended a protest near the high school. She said she doesn't think Vance is a good choice for the vice presidency, labeling him a "liar" and "hypocrite."

Springboro resident Patsy Atkins said Monday's event was her first time at a political rally.

"I thought it was great and it was worth the wait," Atkins said of the rally and its long wait time.

Atkins said she thinks Vance will bring "common sense" to the vice presidency.

"(That's) what America needs right now," she said.

Following the speech, Atkins was feeling hopeful for the future of America.

"I'm excited and I want Trump and Vance to win so badly because we need to get America back in shape," she said.

Luther Stanton, of Middletown, said he appreciates Vance's relatability.

Though Stanton voted for Trump in previous elections, he said he was on the fence this time around but was sold when he heard Vance would be on the ticket.

"We need someone who's more like we are, like common people, as opposed to some other rich guy," Stanton said.