Report: McConnell eyeing 'Hillbilly Elegy' author J.D. Vance for Ohio Senate race
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is reportedly eyeing "Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance for a Senate run in Ohio.
According to POLITICO's Seung Min Kim and Kevin Robillard, McConnell has spoken with the acclaimed author about a bid against Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown after GOP candidate Josh Mandel withdrew himself from the race last week.
Mandel, who currently serves as the Ohio state treasurer, made the announcement last week over his wife's health issues.
"We recently learned that my wife has a health issue that will require my time, attention and presence. In other words, I need to be there," Mandel said in an email. "Understanding and dealing with this health issue is more important to me than any political campaign."
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Vance grew up in the Rust Belt Ohio town of Middletown and detailed both his upbringing and the experiences that come with Appalachian poverty in his 2016 literary release.
While McConnell may have reached out to Vance, others may be more skeptical of a campaign from the Yale Law School graduate who has been critical of President Donald Trump in the past.
As a CNN contributor, Vance has said that Trump's rhetoric is not in the best interest "of the party or the country."
WATCH: Best-selling author J.D. Vance opens up about his painful childhood:
