MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) put Middletown on the map with his bestselling memoir, and now his hometown is at the forefront of the 2024 presidential election.

While Republican supporters are regaling him as a hometown hero who will bring economic prosperity back to the region, Democrats both in and out of the city feel the spotlight, and Vance’s rhetoric opens up wounds about how the blue-collar town is misunderstood or inaccurately portrayed.