The Republican National Convention was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from July 15th to 18th, 2024. On the first day of the convention (July 15th), 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 appointed Vance as his running mate for the 2024 presidential campaign, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy expressed his support for the decision.
Ramaswamy told NewsNation at the convention, “He not only embodies the American dream but genuinely cares about public service… He is one of the few who has achieved the American dream for the right reasons.”
Ramaswamy and Vance are alumni of Yale Law School. They watched Cincinnati Bengals games together during their time at law school, where Ramaswamy observed Vance’s serious approach to politics: “I have known him for over a decade… He participates because he genuinely cares about the United States and our citizens. His words are not for show.”
In his best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” published in 2016, Vance portrays the tragedy and resilience of a white American family, including his childhood spent in poverty. Vance’s mother struggled with addiction, leading him to be raised by his grandmother (whom he called Mamaw).
Vance, on his campaign website, describes his roots in Middletown, Ohio, a once prosperous American manufacturing town where a single income could support a comfortable middle-class life. However, he witnessed the town’s gradual decline over time, with diminishing job and economic opportunities, leaving families, friends, and neighbors with nothing.
He reveals that both his home and school life were often tumultuous. Vance’s father left home when he was very young, and his mother battled addiction his entire life. His Mamaw provided the support, instilling in him the values of faith and family and the prospect of a better life.
Following his service as a Marine in Iraq and earning a law degree from Yale Law School, Vance became a successful investor in Silicon Valley. His book “Hillbilly Elegy” was adapted into a movie on Netflix.
After the success of his book, Vance became a prominent commentator advocating for American workers in the media. He expressed witnessing too many lives destroyed by unemployment, addiction, and economic turmoil.
In 2017, Vance returned to Ohio and established a company in Cincinnati focused on creating high-paying job opportunities. He highlighted the unfair competition many American companies face from China and how the US government often rewards multinational tech companies over small businesses in Ohio.
Vance’s wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, is also a lawyer born in San Diego to Indian immigrant parents. The couple met at Yale University and have three children together.
Vance launched his political career in 2021 by running for the US Senate representing Ohio and won the Republican nomination with the support of Trump. Prior to that, he had no political experience.
Vance was elected as a US Senator in 2022.
Despite his background, Vance has emerged as a strong supporter of Trump’s policies, advocating for trade tariffs, opposing US intervention in foreign conflicts, particularly the war between Russia and Ukraine, and openly opposing potential cuts to social security.
Throughout his campaign for senator, Vance consistently expressed opposition to America’s reliance on Chinese industry and called for government support to bring manufacturing jobs back. He supported the bipartisan “Chips and Science Act,” providing billions in subsidies for the semiconductor manufacturing industry.
Vance is viewed as a conservative. In a report by The Daily Telegraph in 2022, he stated, “As a senator, I will work with anyone to ensure we stop Communist China from buying American farmland… As Ohioans face increasingly higher food prices, Communist China is actively buying up massive tracts of American farmland.”
According to the report, Chinese investors purchased $6.1 billion worth of US land in 2021, with Chinese investors controlling 352,140 acres of American farmland by the end of 2020.
Vance introduced a bill in the Senate restricting the Chinese government’s access to US capital markets and exchanges, citing the long-term manipulation of currency by the Communist Party of China and refusal to pay interest to US bond holders.
Tennessee Representative Andy Ogles subsequently introduced a companion bill in the House, alleging that China failed to comply with international financial, trade, and commercial laws. Ogles stated, “I am honored to work with Senator Vance on this vital measure to hold China (CCP) accountable.”
During his campaign, Vance often referenced the Rust Belt and supported Trump’s policies for reshoring American manufacturing. The Rust Belt comprises northeastern and midwestern states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois. The region has seen factories shutter, job losses, rising crime rates, population decline, and urban decay since the mid-20th century, symbolized by its “rusting” infrastructure.
The working-class forms the cornerstone of battleground states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Vance’s Ohio roots could potentially help the Republican Party secure victories in these crucial battleground states.
Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou from southwestern Ohio expressed, “I’m amazed by his professional trajectory. It’s a great thing for the Republican Party. It’s a great thing for Ohio.”
Following a breakfast with the Republican delegation on Monday morning, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost stated that Vance’s selection as Trump’s running mate would benefit the state.
“I think he’s strong,” Mr. Yost said, “He’s a fearless leader. I like his backstory. Literally, he came from nothing up in the hills of Kentucky, grew up in Middletown… I think having leaders that have the experiences that most Americans have is very valuable… He went to an Ivy League school but he didn’t come from wealth.”