Trump-backed J.D. Vance wins Republican nomination in Ohio U.S. Senate primary, NBC News projects

WASHINGTON – J.D. Vance, the candidate backed by former President Donald Trump, won the Republican nomination to run for the U.S. Senate in Ohio on Tuesday, beating out former state treasurer Josh Mandel, NBC News projected.

Vance first rose to prominence after writing “Hillbilly Elegy,” a book about growing up in poverty in Ohio. He will face a Democratic candidate in November’s general election.

(Reporting by Moira Warburton; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)