Appalachia

An author of an Appalachian memoir has launched a run for Congress, telling reporters plainly: 'I'm not JD Vance.' The candidate is positioning themselves against the caricature of the region popularized by Vance's 'Hillbilly Elegy,' arguing their own lived experience of Appalachia offers a truer representation. The race is drawing attention because it frames mountain communities as more than a political symbol.