The 2024 Republican National Convention was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from July 15th to 18th, 2024. On the first day of the convention, former President Trump officially announced Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate.
Last Saturday, Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The 39-year-old Vance is seen as ideologically aligned with Trump.
Shortly after Trump named Vance as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy expressed his support for this decision.
Ramaswamy told NewsNation at the convention, “He (Vance) not only embodies the American dream but also truly cares about serving the public… He is one of the few who have achieved the American dream for the right reasons.”
Ramaswamy and Vance are alumni of Yale Law School. They even watched a Cincinnati Bengals game together during their time at law school, where Ramaswamy saw Vance’s serious attitude towards politics. Ramaswamy said, “I’ve known him for over a decade… He is deeply concerned about the United States and our citizens. His words are not just for show.”
In his bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” published in 2016, Vance describes the tragedy and rebirth of a white American family, including his childhood in poverty. His mother struggled with addiction, leading him to be raised by his grandmother, whom he fondly refers to as “Mamaw.”
Vance, on his campaign website, introduces himself as hailing from Middletown, Ohio, a once-thriving American manufacturing town where Ohioans could rely on a single income for a comfortable middle-class life. However, over time, he witnessed the town’s decline as jobs and economic opportunities vanished, leaving families, friends, and neighbors with nothing.
He explains that both at home and at school, there were often turbulent issues. Vance’s father left when he was young, and his mother battled addiction throughout her life. His grandmother, Mamaw, provided him with stern love and discipline that kept him on the right path.
Mamaw instilled in him the importance of faith, family, and the promise of a better life.
Subsequently, as a Marine Corps serviceman in Iraq, Vance served the United States, graduated from Ohio State University, obtained a law degree from Yale Law School, and became a successful investor in Silicon Valley. His book “Hillbilly Elegy” was adapted into a movie on Netflix.
Following the success of his book, Vance became a prominent commentator defending American workers in the media. He mentions witnessing too many lives destroyed by unemployment, addiction, and economic turmoil.
In 2017, Vance moved back to Ohio and founded a company in Cincinnati focused on creating high-wage job opportunities. Vance stated that his business experience taught him that many American companies are battling unfair competition from China, while the U.S. government often rewards multinational tech companies instead of small businesses in Ohio.
Vance’s wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, is also a lawyer born in San Diego, California to Indian immigrant parents. The couple met at Yale University and have three children together.
In 2021, Vance launched his first political campaign for the U.S. Senate in Ohio and won the Republican nomination with Trump’s support despite having no prior political experience.
In 2022, Vance was elected as a U.S. Senator.
On January 31, 2023, Vance supported former President Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary and became a staunch supporter of Trump.
Policy-wise, Vance supports trade tariffs, opposes U.S. intervention in foreign conflicts, especially the war between Russia and Ukraine. He also openly opposes the possibility of cutting Social Security benefits.
During his 2021 Senate campaign, Vance consistently voiced his opposition to America’s reliance on Chinese industry and urged the U.S. government to support the reshoring of manufacturing jobs. He supported the bipartisan “CHIPS Act,” which provides billions in subsidies for semiconductor manufacturing.
Vance is seen as a conservative. In a 2022 report by The Daily Telegraph, Vance stated, “As a Senator, I will work with anyone to ensure we stop communist China from buying American farmland… While residents of Ohio face rising food prices, communist China is actively buying vast swathes of U.S. farmland.”
According to the report, Chinese investors purchased $6.1 billion worth of U.S. land in 2021, and by the end of 2020, Chinese investors controlled 352,140 acres of U.S. farmland.
Vance introduced a bill in the Senate to restrict the Chinese government’s access to U.S. capital markets and exchanges, citing the CCP’s long-standing manipulation of currency and refusal to pay interest to U.S. bondholders.
Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles subsequently introduced a complementary bill in the House, stating that the CCP has failed to comply with international financial, trade, and commercial laws. Ogles said, “I am honored to work with Senator Vance on this critical measure to hold China (CCP) accountable.”
Throughout his campaign, Vance frequently referenced the Rust Belt and supported Trump’s policy of reshoring American manufacturing jobs. The Rust Belt refers to the northeastern and midwestern regions of the United States, including Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois. Since the mid-20th century, with the decline of the coal and steel industries, numerous factories shutting down, workers being laid off, crime rates increasing, population loss, and urban decay, this region has faced prosperity fading, becoming rusty.
The working class is the cornerstone of key battleground states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Vance’s advantage of hailing from Ohio may help the Republican Party win several crucial battleground states.
Alex Triantafilou, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party from southwest Ohio, said, “I am amazed by his career. It’s good for the Republican Party, and it’s good for Ohio.”
Following the GOP delegation’s breakfast on Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost stated that choosing Vance as Trump’s running mate would benefit the state.
“I think he’s strong,” Mr. Yost said. “This is a fearless leader. I like his background story. Literally, he had nothing on a mountain in Kentucky, grew up in Middletown… I think having a leader who has the experiences that most Americans have is very useful… He went to an Ivy League school, but he didn’t come from a wealthy family.”