In November 2012, following President Barack Obama's reelection, JD Vance, then a law student at Yale, penned a critical article addressing the Republican Party's approach towards migrants and minorities. Vance highlighted the Party's perceived hostility towards non-whites and its alienation of groups such as Blacks, Latinos, and the youth.
Fast forward four years, as Vance contemplated a potential career in Republican politics, he reached out to his former college professor, Brad Nelson, who had taught him at Ohio State University. Nelson, who had previously invited Vance to contribute to a blog for the nonpartisan Center for World Conflict and Peace, revealed that Vance had asked him to delete the aforementioned article.