Jul 15, 2024 - Politics & Policy
JD Vance's rise: From "Hillbilly Elegy" to Trump's VP pick
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JD Vance has made an unlikely journey over the past eight years from bestselling author and Trump critic to senator and, now, former President Trump's running mate.
Timeline:
The big picture: Vance, 39, would be the third-youngest vice president if the Trump-Vance ticket wins the White House in November. The Ohio senator has become one of Trump's most aggressive and effective surrogates, and the Trump campaign is hoping he helps deliver critical Rust Belt votes.
Ohio native and former Marine
- A Middletown, Ohio native, Vance enlisted in the Marine Corps after high school and deployed to Iraq in 2005. He served in a public affairs role and wrote afterwards he was "lucky to escape any real fighting."
- He later said he learned he was sent to Iraq based on a lie, a lesson he has cited in justifying his anti-interventionist foreign policy.
Yale Law graduate
- After the Marines, Vance studied political science and philosophy at Ohio State University, before moving on to Yale Law School.
- Vance met his wife Usha while enrolled at Yale. After graduating in 2013, he worked for corporate law firm Sidley Austin and for investment firms in California.
"Hillbilly Elegy"
- The publication of Vance's bestselling memoir in 2016 brought him to national attention at a time when Trump's political rise — powered by the sorts of working-class white voters Vance's book depicted — had gripped the country.
- During the 2016 campaign, Vance described himself as a "Never Trump guy" and called Trump "noxious," "reprehensible" and "an idiot."
Return to Ohio, flirt with politics
- Vance moved back to Ohio from California following the publication of his book and began to flirt with a political run.
- He also launched a venture capital fund for startups outside of Silicon Valley. One of the major investors was Peter Thiel, the GOP donor who became one of the key backers for his Senate bid.
Election denial and Senate run
- Vance changed his tune on Trump, becoming a vocal denier of President Biden's victory in the 2020 election and positioning himself as an "America First conservative."
- He secured Trump's endorsement for a 2022 Senate run and won that race by six points over Democrat Tim Ryan.
Trump's VP nominee
- Vance positioned himself on the MAGA wing of the Senate GOP and took opportunities to appear alongside Trump at rallies and the former president's trial in New York.
- In addition to loyalty and ideological affinity, Vance's friendship with Donald Trump Jr. helped move him up the VP shortlist.
