COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) 鈥 Former President Donald Trump on Monday chose U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio to be his running mate as he looks to return to the White House.
Here are some things to know about Vance, a 39-year-old Republican now in his first term in the Senate:
Vance rose to prominence with the memoir 鈥楬illbilly Elegy鈥
Vance was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio. He joined the Marines and served in Iraq, and later earned degrees from Ohio State University and Yale Law School. He also worked as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley.
Vance made a name for himself with his memoir, the 2016 bestseller ," which was published as Trump was first running for president. The book earned Vance a reputation as someone who could help explain the maverick New York businessman鈥檚 appeal in middle America, especially among the working class, rural white voters who helped Trump win the presidency.
鈥淗illbilly Elegy鈥 also introduced Vance to the Trump family. Donald Trump Jr. loved the book and knew of Vance when he went to launch his political career. The two hit it off and have remained friends.
He was first elected to public office in 2022
After Donald Trump won the 2016 election, Vance and . He also took to the and was a favored guest at Republican Lincoln Day dinners where his personal story 鈥 including the hardship Vance endured because of his mother鈥檚 drug addiction 鈥 resonated.
Vance's appearances were opportunities to sell his ideas for fixing the country and helped lay the groundwork for , when he sought the Senate seat vacated by Republican Rob Portman, who retired.
Trump endorsed Vance. Vance went on to win and the general election.
He and Trump have personal chemistry
Personal relationships are extremely important to the former president and he and Vance have developed a strong rapport over years, speaking on the phone regularly.
Trump has also complimented Vance鈥檚 beard, saying he 鈥渓ooks like a young Abraham Lincoln.鈥
Vance went from never-Trumper to fierce ally
Vance was a 鈥渘ever Trump鈥 Republican in 2016. He called Trump 鈥渄angerous鈥 and 鈥渦nfit鈥 for office. Vance, whose wife, lawyer Usha Chilukuri Vance, is Indian American and the mother of their three children, also criticized Trump鈥檚 racist rhetoric, saying he could be 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Hitler.鈥
But by the time Vance met Trump in 2021, he had reversed his opinion, citing Trump鈥檚 accomplishments as president. Both men downplayed Vance's past scathing criticism.
Once elected, Vance became a fierce Trump ally on Capitol Hill, unceasingly defending Trump鈥檚 policies and .
He is a leading conservative voice
Kevin Roberts, president of the conservative Heritage Foundation, called Vance a leading voice for the conservative movement, on key issues including a shift away from interventionist foreign policy, free market economics and 鈥淎merican culture writ large.鈥
Democrats call him an extremist, citing provocative positions Vance has taken but sometimes later amended. Vance signaled during his Senate run, for instance, then softened that stance once a 2023 abortion rights amendment.
Vance has adopted Trump's rhetoric about Jan. 6
On the 2020 election, he said he wouldn't have certified the results immediately if he had been vice president and said Trump had 鈥渁 very legitimate grievance.鈥 He has put conditions on honoring the results of the 2024 election that echo . A litany of government and outside investigations have not found any election fraud that could have swung the outcome of Trump's 2020 loss to Democratic President Joe Biden.
In the Senate, Vance sometimes embraces bipartisanship. He and co-sponsored a railway safety bill following a . He's sponsored legislation extending and increasing funding for Great Lakes restoration, and supported bipartisan legislation boosting workers and families.
Vance can articulate Trump's vision
People familiar with the vice presidential vetting process said Vance would bring to the GOP ticket debating skills and the ability to articulate Trump鈥檚 vision.
Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative activist group Turning Point USA, said Vance compellingly articulates the America First world view and could help Trump in states he closely lost in 2020, such as Michigan and Wisconsin, that share Ohio鈥檚 values, demographics and economy.
