Bestselling author J.D. Vance will not run in the Ohio Republican Senate primary despite encouragement from high-profile Republicans in past weeks.
Vance tweeted his decision on Friday, citing his family and his nonprofit work as key reasons why he skipped a bid.
“I am truly honored by everyone who encouraged me to run for senate this year,” he said.
Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to run, but it’s just not a good time. A bit more color below. pic.twitter.com/5c1YYkPFcB
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) January 19, 2018
He went on to note how he initially ruled out a bid in August because “the timing was awful for my young family,” adding that not enough had changed since then to change his mind.
ADVERTISEMENT
“My nonprofit organization is on the verge of bringing an addiction specialist into Ohio to help fill some significant treatment gaps, and I’ve still got a family that needs more of my time than a political campaign would permit,” he said.
“I’d rather focus on these things. So count me out of politics for now.”
The decision came as Republicans race to reshape the Ohio field after GOP primary front-runner, state Treasurer Josh Mandel, ended his campaign earlier this month, citing his wife’s illness. That briefly left businessman Mike Gibbons as the only candidate in the primary.
ADVERTISEMENT
But Rep. Jim RenacciJames (Jim) B. RenacciOhio is suddenly a 2020 battleground Democrats fear Ohio slipping further away in 2020 Medicare for All won’t deliver what Democrats promise MORE (R-Ohio) quickly moved from the gubernatorial primary to the Senate primary. And some Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote GOP senator to try to reverse requirement that Pentagon remove Confederate names from bases No, ‘blue states’ do not bail out ‘red states’ MORE (R-Ky.), spoke to Vance, the author of the bestseller “Hillbilly Elegy,” about a potential bid, according to multiple reports.
Click Here: cheap INTERNATIONAL jersey
Some have used Vance’s book about his life growing up in the Rust Belt as a means to understand the rise of President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE and the struggles facing the white working class.
Now Gibbons and Renacci are the top two candidates in the race to square off against Sen. Sherrod BrownSherrod Campbell BrownHillicon Valley: Senators raise concerns over government surveillance of protests | Amazon pauses police use of its facial recognition tech | FBI warns hackers are targeting mobile banking apps Democratic senators raise concerns over government surveillance of protests Some realistic solutions for income inequality MORE (D) in the November general election. Republicans are bullish about their chances in the state after a strong 2016 cycle there, but Brown has served in elected office in Ohio for decades and has an overwhelming fundraising advantage.