Special Poll
Former President Trump has selected Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate for the 2024 election, choosing the first-term Ohio senator and staunch advocate of the America First agenda to join the Republican ticket.
“After lengthy deliberation and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the great state of Ohio,” Trump announced on Truth Social.
Trump highlighted Vance’s impressive resume, including his service in the Marines, his degree from Yale Law School, and his best-selling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.”
“J.D. has had a very successful business career in technology and finance, and now, during the campaign, 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.
“As Vice President, J.D. will continue to fight for our Constitution, stand with our troops, and will do everything he can to help me MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump continued. “Congratulations to Senator J.D. Vance, his wife, Usha, who also graduated from Yale Law School, and their three beautiful children. MAGA2024!”
Trump informed Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum on Monday that they would not be joining him on the ticket, making Vance the clear choice.
In recent months, Vance has emerged as one of the most visible defenders of Trump. Allies have praised him as an articulate voice of the populist conservative movement and noted his strong personal relationship with Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr. Vance is expected to be a fierce and willing attack dog in the upcoming campaign.
The selection of Vance comes at a critical moment in the election, just days after Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump is using the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to rally the base after this shocking event.
At 39, Vance has quickly risen in the political arena. He is a native Ohioan who enlisted in the Marines and graduated from Yale Law School. He gained national attention with his book, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” which portrayed his upbringing and family history of poverty and addiction in Appalachia and offered his insights on the white working class and economic insecurity.
Vance won a Senate seat in 2022, his first political campaign, and has become a prominent figure of the New Right and the MAGA movement in Congress. While he has worked across the aisle on various legislation, he is best known for opposing additional U.S. aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Though initially critical of Trump during the 2016 campaign, calling him “noxious” and “reprehensible,” Vance has since been won over by Trump’s presidency. Trump endorsed Vance in a competitive 2022 primary race.
Vance was the first vice-presidential contender to attend Trump’s criminal trial in New York City and frequently appears on networks like CNN and CBS News to defend the former president.
Recently, Vance has made headlines for downplaying the threat to former Vice President Mike Pence during the January 6 riots and for stating he would accept the 2024 election results, “if we have a free and fair election.” Both comments came during CNN interviews and echoed Trump’s rhetoric.
Vance also has strong connections to Silicon Valley, potentially giving Trump a fundraising advantage in what is expected to be a highly expensive campaign.
Vance is married with three young children. If elected, he would be 40 at the time of swearing-in, making him one of the youngest individuals ever to assume the vice presidency.