Save middle class, 'Hillbilly' author urges GOP

By GRAIG GRAZIOSI

ggraziosi@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

Far from his “hillbilly” roots, J.D. Vance, author of the New York Times best-seller “Hillbilly Elegy,” dined under chandeliers at The Georgetown alongside a who’s-who assembly of district Republicans during the Mahoning County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Thursday night.

County GOP Chairman Mark Munroe hosted the event and was joined by several elected Republicans from the region, including county Auditor Ralph Meacham, state Sen. Keith Faber, R-84th, and state Auditor Dave Yost.

Attendees were eager to meet Vance, whose popularity exploded last year when his book became a favorite of pundits and politicians eager to gain insight into the “white working class.”

Before the event, Vance signed copies of his book and mingled with guests both at the bar and in the larger banquet hall. Many attendees posed for photos with the author.

The book tells the true story of Vance’s upbringing between Middletown, Ohio, and Breathitt County, Ky., focusing on his “hillbilly” family and how changes in job availability and drug abuse tied to economic issues impacted his life.

Vance was the dinner’s keynote speaker, telling stories from his book as well as exhorting the gathered Republicans to bear the responsibility of “keeping the American Dream alive” by offering solutions to the shrinking middle class.

Though he eventually settled down with his wife in San Francisco, Vance recently decided to move back to Ohio to launch a nonprofit called “Our Ohio Renewal” aimed at addressing the shrinking middle class, as well as fighting the opioid epidemic throughout the state.

After Vance’s tumultuous childhood, he went on to join the Marines and served in Iraq. After leaving the armed forces, he attended college at Ohio State University and later graduated from Yale Law School.

In addition to Vance, state Sen. Frank LaRose, R-27th, and state Rep. Dorothy Pelanda, R-86th – who are both running for Ohio secretary of state – spoke to the crowd about their upcoming campaigns.

Yost also spoke to the crowd, asking for their support in his upcoming run for Ohio attorney general.

Lincoln Day is traditionally a day when state and county Republican Party organizations have dinners and fundraisers. The day is generally observed in February or March but can be observed anytime.