National

topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

jobs

transportation

business

stock-market-news

retail-news

crypto

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

pittsburgh

atlanta

san-diego

charlotte

boulder

washington-dc

kansas-city

dallas

denver

detroit

des-moines

austin

boston

chicago

cleveland

columbus

houston

indianapolis

miami

nashville

new-orleans

nw-arkansas

philadelphia

phoenix

portland

richmond

salt-lake-city

san-antonio

san-francisco

seattle

tampa-bay

twin-cities

raleigh

huntsville

colorado-springs

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

"Top Senate Republicans have quietly reached out to J.D. Vance — the star author of 'Hillbilly Elegy' — about running for Senate in Ohio after the abrupt withdrawal of GOP candidate Josh Mandel last week," Politico reports.

"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has spoken with Vance about a potential bid."

"Mandel announced on Friday that he would exit from the Ohio Senate race — one of the more high-profile battles in the 2018 midterm elections — due to his wife’s health issues."

"McConnell has told associates that he would prioritize the race [for funding] if Vance jumps in."

GOP encouraging Ohio Senate run for "Hillbilly Elegy" author

Mitch McConnell would prioritize funding for him if he jumps in.

Photo: Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Politics

2018 midterm elections

Top Stories

<p><strong>&quot;Top Senate Republicans</strong> have quietly reached out to J.D. Vance — the star author of &#x27;Hillbilly Elegy&#x27; — about running for Senate in Ohio after the abrupt withdrawal of GOP candidate Josh Mandel last week,&quot; Politico <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reports" data-vars-click-url="http://link.axios.com/click/11850938.126972/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucG9saXRpY28uY29tL3N0b3J5LzIwMTgvMDEvMDgvb2hpby1zZW5hdGUtdmFuY2UtYnJvd24tMzI4NTY1P3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9bmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj0mc3RyZWFtPXRvcC1zdG9yaWVz/586d9e571e560373298b467cBd885cf48" data-vars-content-id="156f60de-5cf4-4c32-b57c-a2b5bb81bedc" data-vars-headline="GOP encouraging Ohio Senate run for &quot;Hillbilly Elegy&quot; author" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="http://link.axios.com/click/11850938.126972/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucG9saXRpY28uY29tL3N0b3J5LzIwMTgvMDEvMDgvb2hpby1zZW5hdGUtdmFuY2UtYnJvd24tMzI4NTY1P3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9bmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj0mc3RyZWFtPXRvcC1zdG9yaWVz/586d9e571e560373298b467cBd885cf48" target="_self">reports</a>.</p>

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

GOP encouraging Ohio Senate run for "Hillbilly Elegy" author

What to read next