Crossword Genius

I have written about area's statesman (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

iowan

'statesman' is the definition.
(Iowa is a state)

'i have written about area's' is the wordplay.
'have' becomes 'own' ('own' can be a synonym of 'have').
'written about' is an insertion indicator.
'area' becomes 'a' (maths abbreviation).
'own' going around 'a' is 'owan'.
'i'+'owan'='IOWAN'

(Other definitions for iowan that I've seen before include "US resident" , "From a US state, capital Des Moines" , "Someone from the Midwest - a wino? (anag)" , "From Des Moines, say?" , "Statesman" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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