Ohio senator J.D. Vance has been selected as the vice president nominee for the Republican Party. The senator and vice presidential hopeful is best known for his story about growing up in rural Appalachia.
In his book “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vance talks about his life before politics in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio.
“The book details his life, kind of juxtaposing his life and law school and trying to navigate this world of Yale and this upbringing which was in poverty and living with his grandmother,” said Cayce Myers, director of graduate studies and professor at Virginia Tech.
He said in the book, Vance talks about how he was raised by his grandmother, while his mother battled addiction.
“He’s not from a privileged background at all,” said Myers. “I mean, he is from a family that really struggled to make ends meet and, in that sense, I think he is really relatable in a larger way to many of the struggles Americans face.”
Myers said he also thinks with Vance’s background, he will resonate with folks in the states that rely on working-class Americans.
“Those states are the states that have a lot of working-class voters that may be feeling that they are disillusioned and disaffected by the current political reality and I think Vance may be able to speak to those voters,” Myers said.
He said though Vance and former President Trump have had differences in the past, this could mean the former president is willing to hear criticism or show people can change their minds about him.