J.D. Vance, a venture capitalist and author of the bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” announced Thursday night that he‘s a candidate in the 2022 Republican primary for an Ohio U.S. Senate seat.
Speaking to a crowd at a manufacturing plant in his hometown of Middletown, Mr. Vance formally entered the race to fill the seat being vacated by the retiring Republican Sen. Rob Portman.
“I want to fight for this community,” Mr. Vance said.
The crowded Republican field includes former state Treasurer Josh Mandel, former Ohio GOP chair Jane Timken, car dealership owner Bernie Moreno and IT executive Mark Pukita.
Rep. Tim Ryan is the only announced candidate so far for the Democratic nomination.
Mr. Vance already has $10 million in a super PAC that was formed to encourage him to run, with heavy backing from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. He has criticized Big Tech as biased against conservatives, and has railed against the “woke” culture.
Mr. Vance didn’t support Donald Trump’s campaign for the presidency in 2016, but says he now agrees with Mr. Trump’s “America First” agenda.
