J.D. Vance expected to park in Pennsylvania for several months
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Former President Trump running mate J.D. Vance appears slated for an extended campaign blitz in Pennsylvania, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The Trump campaign plans to park the Ohio Republican senator to Pennsylvania over the next four months — using his Rust Belt appeal to try to deny President Biden the biggest Blue Wall state, which he desperately needs to win, Axios' Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei write in their Behind the Curtain column.
The big picture: Vance, a bestselling author and former Marine, "will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for, the American Workers and Farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond," Trump wrote in a Truth Social announcement on Monday.
- Beyond Pennsylvania, the campaign's plans for Vance in the coming months include side trips to Michigan and Wisconsin.
- The campaign says Vance's life story could appeal not just to working-class people but also to suburban women.
Plus: Trump advisers believe the 39–year–old could be a key messenger to court young white, Black and Hispanic men.
The intrigue: Trump likely doesn't have a path to victory in Pennsylvania without suburban voters, particularly in Philadelphia's collar counties.
- Those voters helped deliver Biden a victory in 2020.
Zoom in: Vance has made an unlikely journey over the past eight years from "Hillbilly Elegy" author and Trump critic to senator and, now, Trump running mate.
- He grew up in Middletown, Ohio. Vance enlisted in the Marines, served in Iraq, graduated from Ohio State University on the G.I. bill, and got a Yale Law degree. He was elected to the Senate on his first try.
What they're saying: Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick — who was on stage with Trump during Saturday's assassination attempt — called Vance a "fantastic addition to the ticket" in a post on X.
- Louis Capozzi, a state GOP delegate from Philadelphia, views Vance as a "21st-century Abraham Lincoln" capable of one day succeeding Trump as president, per the Inquirer.
- Pennsylvania's Republican Party and the Trump campaign did not respond to Axios' requests for comment.
The other side: Some of Pennsylvania's prominent Democrats are resurfacing Vance's past comments about Trump, referring to him as a "cynical a--hole" and "America's Hitler."
What we're watching: Where Vance spends his time campaigning for Trump in the Commonwealth.
- Trump has already been focusing efforts to woo Black voters in Philly.
- McCormick's campaign tells Axios they'll work with Vance to "turn Pennsylvania red in November" but the two haven't yet scheduled any events together.
Go deeper: Behind the Curtain: Why J.D.