Jul 17, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Vance repeatedly name checks Rust Belt in VP acceptance speech

Erin Doherty

: Trump's pick for Vice President, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) arrives on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) on the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance (R) leaned into his personal background to try to appeal to Rust Belt voters during his Republican National Convention speech, saying that he "will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from."

Why it matters: It's a sign that Vance, a Rust Belt native, will be zeroed in on winning these voters in the crucial swing states ahead of November.

"I promise you one more thing, to the people of Middletown, Ohio and all the forgotten communities in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio ... I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from," Vance said.
Vance is expected to campaign aggressively in Pennsylvania over the next several months, with additional trips to Michigan and Wisconsin, Axios previously reported.

Driving the news: Vance leaned into his personal background to make his pitch to voters during his first speech as Trump's running mate.

"In small towns like mine in Ohio or next door in Pennsylvania or in Michigan, in states all across our country, jobs were sent overseas and our children were sent to war," Vance said.

Zoom in: Vance in his best-selling memoir "Hillbilly Elegy" describes growing up in poverty in the Rust Belt and his struggling family life, navigating his mother's addiction and family violence.

Vance's personal bio is one of the factors that appealed to Trump as he made his VP selection, Axios' Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei report.

The big picture: Trump on Monday announced that he was selecting Vance as his VP over people like Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

Vance was once an outspoken critic of the former president, but is now one of his most fervent allies on Capitol Hill. At 39, he would be the second youngest vice president in history if Trump wins in November.
A close friend of Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., Vance is now positioned to be the standard-bearer of the MAGA-wing of the GOP for years.

Go deeper: Behind the Curtain: Why J.D.

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Vance repeatedly name checks Rust Belt in VP acceptance speech

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