‘Hillbilly Elegy’ author won’t run for Senate

Bestselling author J.D. Vance will not run for Senate in Ohio next year, closing the door on the prospect of a longshot bid for the Republican nomination.

Vance told The Atlantic on Friday that while he took “a serious look at it because I care about the direction of the party,” ultimately, “it would have been an objectively bad call for my family.”

A handful of Republicans had attempted to push Vance into the race, which currently features Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel and businessman Mike Gibbons.

While Mandel has locked up a slew of powerful endorsements like Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), some Republicans are lukewarm about putting him up for repeat battle against Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who beat him in 2012.

{mosads}

Those concerns were exacerbated in some corners after Mandel accused the Anti-Defamation League of being a “partisan witchhunt group” against conservatives for its decision to add far-right personalities Mike Cernovich and Jack Posobiec to a list of figures associated with the “alt-right.”

Vance rose to prominence thanks to his best-selling 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” on life in Appalachia and has become more politically active as his book’s success continues.