JD Vance

JD Vance
Official portait of JD Vance. He is a middle-age, bearded white man, wearing a suit and red tie. Behind him, there are the US and Ohio flags partially visible.
Official portrait, 2023
Vice President-elect of the United States
Assuming office
January 20, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump (elect)
SucceedingKamala Harris
United States Senator
from Ohio
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Serving with Sherrod Brown
Preceded byRob Portman
Personal details
Born
James Donald Bowman

(1984-08-02) August 2, 1984 (age 40)
Middletown, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
(m. 2014)
RelationsVance family
Children3
Education
Occupation
  • Politician
  • author
  • venture capitalist
  • attorney
Signature
Website
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service2003–2007
RankCorporal
Unit2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Battles/warsIraq War
Awards
Writing career
GenreMemoir
Notable worksHillbilly Elegy
Notable awardsAudie Award for Nonfiction (2017)

James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman;[a] August 2, 1984) is an American politician, attorney, author, and former United States Marine who is the vice president-elect of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he has served since 2023 as the junior United States senator from Ohio. He was Donald Trump's running mate in the 2024 presidential election.

After high school, Vance joined the United States Marine Corps, where he served as a military journalist from 2003 to 2007. He graduated from Ohio State University and Yale Law School. He practiced briefly as a corporate lawyer before embarking on a career in the tech industry as a venture capitalist. His memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, was published in 2016 and adapted into a film in 2020.

Vance won the 2022 United States Senate election in Ohio, defeating Democratic nominee Tim Ryan. After opposing Donald Trump's candidacy in the 2016 election, Vance became a strong Trump supporter during Trump's presidency. In July 2024, Trump selected Vance as his running mate before the Republican National Convention.

Vance has been characterized as a national conservative[3][4] and right-wing populist,[3][5] and he describes himself as a member of the postliberal right.[6][7] His political positions include opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage, gun control, and American military aid to Ukraine. Vance is an outspoken critic of childlessness and has acknowledged Catholic theology's influence on his sociopolitical positions.[8][9][10][11]

  1. ^ a b Lawrence, Drew F. (July 16, 2024). "JD Vance's Marine Corps Service Would Set Him Apart from Most Vice Presidents". Military.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  2. ^ Smyth, Julie Carr (July 26, 2024). "What's in a name? Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance has had many of them". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on July 27, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  3. ^ a b van Zuylen-Wood, Simon (January 4, 2022). "The Radicalization of J.D. Vance". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  4. ^ Orr, James (July 16, 2024). "JD Vance's nomination proves Trumpism is here to stay". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  5. ^ Goldman, Samuel (July 15, 2021). "Peter Thiel's implausible populists". The Week. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  6. ^ Zorzi, Graedon H. (July 16, 2024). "J.D. Vance and the Rise of 'Postliberalism'". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  7. ^ Haynes, Gavin (July 17, 2024). "JD Vance has some weird influences". The Spectator. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024. Vance says he is 'plugged into a lot of weird, right-wing subcultures'. He draws from a whole new political lexicon, one that would seem baffling to his more starched colleagues in the Congress.
  8. ^ Corn, David (August 1, 2024). "JD Vance Attacked AOC for Promoting a 'Sociopathic Attitude' About Children". Mother Jones (magazine). Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  9. ^ Sforza, Lauren (July 30, 2024). "Vance: 'Childless people' in US leadership 'more sociopathic'". The Hill. Archived from the original on July 31, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  10. ^ Smith, Peter; Smith, Michelle R. (September 4, 2024). "Takeaways from AP's report on JD Vance and the Catholic postliberals in his circle of influence". Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Dias, Elizabeth (August 25, 2024). "How JD Vance Found His Way to the Catholic Church". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 5, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.


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