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.
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.
“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.
But Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) quickly moved from the gubernatorial primary to the Senate primary. And some Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), spoke to Vance, the author of the bestseller “Hillbilly Elegy,” about a potential bid, according to multiple reports.
Some have used Vance’s book about his life growing up in the Rust Belt as a means to understand the rise of President Trump 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 Brown (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.