Three years ago, in my first year of college, my friend Austin, who was much more politically involved than me, convinced me to head to Orlando, Florida, for a political conference. It was then, on a cig break with a bunch of youngsters, when I first realized that J.D. Vance would become a superstar. The then-recently announced Senate candidate popped out of nowhere and joined the college crowd for a conversation about the future of American politics. In an event with so many “intellectuals” who wouldn’t bother talking to us, we all felt seen and heard.
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