JD was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio, a once flourishing American manufacturing town where Ohioans could live content, middle-class lives on single incomes. But over time, he witnessed the steady decline of his town. Jobs and economic opportunities slowly disappeared, leaving family, friends, and neighbors with nothing.

Turbulence was common at home and at school. JD’s father left home when he was a young boy. His mother struggled with drug addiction his entire life. His grandmother, called Mamaw, was his saving grace. Her tough love and discipline kept him on the straight and narrow. That, or maybe the fact that she owned 19 handguns. She taught him the importance of being grounded in faith and family and the prospect that a better life lay ahead.
JD went on to serve our nation in the Iraq War as a proud Marine, graduated from The Ohio State University, received his law degree from Yale Law School, and became a successful investor in Silicon Valley. He wrote a bestselling book, Hillbilly Elegy, which was turned into a movie on Netflix.
After the success of his book, JD became a well-known commentator on networks who fiercely defended working-class Americans. He had seen too many lives devastated by job loss, addiction and economic turmoil.
JD moved back to Ohio in 2017 to start a Cincinnati-based business that focused on growing companies that create well-paying jobs. JD’s business experience taught him firsthand that so many American companies struggle with unfair competition from China and from their own government, which often rewards multinational technology firms over Ohio small businesses.
The U.S. Senate needs someone who knows what it’s like to live in a left-behind community, not a career politician who has done nothing for the people of Ohio.
JD was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022. He’s honored to have the chance to serve our country, and is hard at work bringing Ohio values to Washington.