James David Vance, author of a bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, has won Senate Republican primary in Ohio

When former US President, Donald Trump made an endorsement for author and venture capitalist James David Vance, no one would have believed that he would go on to win the Senate Republican primary in Ohio.

Besides being a venture capitalist, JD is the author of a bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, which was also made into a 2020 Netflix film, directed by Ron Howard. With him being the central character, played by Gabriel Basso, the film traces the Appalachian values of his Kentucky family and the social problems of his hometown of Middletown, Ohio.

‘From Make America Great Again’ to now ‘Save America’, it seems former President of United States Donald Trump’s endorsement worked wonders for Vance, as the former got a towering influence over the Republican Party. While all his arch-rivals were trying hard to win over Trump’s endorsement, Vance had an additional set of worries, his erstwhile-anti Trump speeches, which were used against him. Reportedly, Vance succeeded in winning over Donald Trump Jr leading him to communicate to his father how he was aligned with Trump on populist issues. A sit-down chaperoned by Peter Thiel, Vance’s former employer and tech billionaire, paved the way for his big win. Thiel also made record-breaking donations to support Vance while he was running low on money and also trailing in polls.

Vance was leading the crowded pack of primary candidates with 32 per cent of the votes about two hours after polls closed. After taking on Josh Mandel, who was long presumed to be the front-runner in the crowded Republican field in Ohio, Vance win has a bigger set of goals lined up for him ahead this year. He will now face Democratic congressman Tim Ryan in November to determine who will fill the seat of retiring Republican Senator Rob Portman.

Indian connection

Wife of JD Vance, Usha Chilukuri Vance, is an Indian-American. The two met in Yales when they were studying law and have been married since 2014. She is a litigator in the San Francisco and Washington DC offices of Munger, Tolles amp; Olson, a law firm. In his memoir film, Hillbilly Elegy, actress Freida Pinto played the role of Vance’s girlfriend. — Sheetal