‘Hillbilly Elegy’ author JD Vance courts Trump country in run for Senate

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — J.D. Vance is wearing a dapper navy suit and holding a Big Gulp-sized drink. It’s a perfectly on-brand look for the bestselling author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” who is meeting with small crowds all over his home state of Ohio in his run for US Senate.

Today, about 100 people at Leonardo’s Coffeehouse are gathered over an ample supply of “Ohio Valley” style pizza, a square pie known for its light but crunchy dough, sweet sauce and cold shredded cheese. Details like these remind voters that Vance is more than a critically acclaimed writer whose memoir about growing up in Appalachia sold more than 3 million copies and was turned into a Netflix film starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams. He is a son of Ohio who respects the culture of the people living in this city, a former Democratic stronghold that’s now part of the conservative populist coalition that voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020.

As he speaks, the author (born John David Vance in Middletown, Ohio) often strays into a smooth drawl, especially when he discusses his family.