JACKSON, Ky. — The race for the White House is complete, with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance securing 292 electoral votes.
It's a presidential ticket with ties to Kentucky, as Vance spent many of his childhood years in eastern Kentucky.
While he was born in Ohio, Vance wrote in his memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy," that he spent many of his formative years in Breathitt County. Some residents of Jackson said Vance gets them and they hope to see him elevate issues affecting Appalachia.
Some of Vance’s distant family still call eastern Kentucky home, including Jackson resident Joe Profitt. He found out through genealogy he is Vance’s fifth cousin, twice removed.
“To put it in hillbilly terms, I was in 'hog heaven,' but really just elated and a great feeling to know that I’ll have bloodline in the White House," Profitt said.
Profitt was born in Breathitt County, but his family, much like Vance’s, moved to Ohio for work. He moved back seven years ago.
Profitt said Vance can relate to the people of Appalachia because of his roots.
“We need education more than anything because that will raise you out of poverty," Profitt said. "It raised him out, it raised me out and I think he can do it. And I think he will."
Vance has written and spoken about spending many summers at his great-grandma’s home with his grandmother, whom he called Mamaw, on Panbowl Branch. Teresa Spicer, founder of the Breathitt County Republican Women's Club, said Vance is relatable to average Appalachians.
“We get him, we know where he’s been, we know where he’s come from and people in Breathitt County, we get him because it’s not the same lifestyle," Spicer said. "A lot of people here moved away, but they still kept their roots and their ties and they’re still one of ours’."
Stephen Bowling, director of the Breathitt County Public Library, said Vance’s nomination shined an international spotlight on the county. He expects Vance's election will spark an interest in where he grew up.
Bowling added he has known Vance for years and hopes to see him, as vice president, bring more opportunities to the region.
“We hope that he’ll address some of the issues that he mentioned in his book, which is bringing industry back to the United States, making sure that rural areas receive the same opportunities to advance and grow as the urban areas," Bowling said.
Bowling said Vance also owns hundreds of acres in the county.
Vance was also married to his wife, Usha Vance, in Kentucky and has gone on the record numerous times saying he wants to be buried at his family cemetery in Breathitt County.