J.D. Vance Faces Harsh Backlash as Hopes Fade for Wisconsin’s ‘Forgotten’ Working Class
June 17, 2025 | Madison, WI
As economic anxieties continue to grip Wisconsin’s industrial heartland, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance is facing growing backlash from the very people he once championed the so-called “forgotten” men and women of the working class.
Promising to bring the concerns of rural and blue-collar Americans into the national spotlight, Vance’s populist rhetoric once resonated powerfully in Rust Belt states like Wisconsin. But now, many residents say those promises feel hollow, drowned out by partisan theatrics and a perceived detachment from local realities.
I believed him when he said he understood us, said Mark Helgeson, a laid-off paper mill worker from Appleton. But nothing has changed if anything, it’s worse. The jobs are gone, the drugs are still here, and all we get are more speeches.
Vance, author of the best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy built his political career on narratives of dislocation and cultural despair in America’s heartland. His message was tailor-made for Wisconsin communities hit hard by decades of manufacturing decline. Yet, critics argue that his tenure in the Senate has been marked more by ideological posturing than by tangible results for struggling workers.
Unemployment has ticked up slightly in parts of central and northern Wisconsin. Federal infrastructure dollars have been slow to arrive. And rural hospitals and schools continue to face funding shortfalls. Meanwhile, Vance has made headlines more for controversial comments on national television than for policy breakthroughs that impact everyday lives.
People here are tired of being props in someone else’s culture war, said Linda Gorski, a retired teacher in Wausau. We need investment, not just indignation.
Political analysts note that Vance remains a polarizing figure admired by some for his bluntness, but increasingly questioned by others who feel left behind.
His brand of populism lit a spark, but governing is about delivery, said Dr. Anika Talbot, a political science professor at UW-Madison. “If the results don’t come, disillusionment sets in quickly.
With the 2026 midterms looming, Vance’s relationship with Rust Belt voters may determine his long-term political fate. For now, in the factories and farm towns of Wisconsin, disappointment is beginning to drown out hope.
