JD Vance
James David Vance was born James Donald Bowman on the 2nd of August 1984, in Middletown, Ohio. He grew up in a home marked by poverty and abuse while his mother struggled with drug addiction. His elder sister Lindsay and he were raised primarily by their maternal grandparents, whom they called Papaw and Mamaw. After his parents divorced when he was a toddler, his mother changed his name to James David Hamel following her third marriage to Bob Hamel. The surname eventually shifted back to Vance after her parents became his caretakers.
Vance enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2003 after graduating from Middletown High School. He served as a combat correspondent for four years until leaving the service in 2007. During this tenure, he deployed to Iraq in 2005 for six months in a non-combat role writing articles and taking photographs. In December 2005, he participated in a roundtable discussion with Vice President Dick Cheney alongside other Marines. He attained the rank of corporal and received decorations including the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
Harper published Vance's memoir Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis in June 2016. The book recounted Appalachian culture and socioeconomic problems from his upbringing and appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list during 2016 and 2017. The Times listed it among books to help understand Trump's win while The Washington Post called him the voice of the Rust Belt. Sarah Jones criticized the work in The New Republic as little more than a list of myths about welfare queens.
After law school, Vance moved to San Francisco to work in venture capital between 2016 and 2017. He became a principal at Peter Thiel's firm Mithril Capital where he clashed with co-founder Ajay Royan before leaving in 2017. Bloomberg reports indicate he deleted all traces of Mithril from his LinkedIn profile after departing. He then joined Revolution LLC founded by Steve Case in 2017 to expand the Rise of the Rest initiative focusing on investments outside Silicon Valley. Colin Greenspon left Mithril to join Vance at Revolution in 2018.
Vance was sworn into the Senate as Ohio's junior senator on the 3rd of January 2023, serving until the 3rd of January 2025. Data from mid-July 2024 showed he made 45 Senate speeches and sponsored 57 legislative bills none of which passed the Senate. He co-sponsored 288 bills though only two passed both chambers before being vetoed by President Biden. On the 1st of March 2023, he co-sponsored bipartisan legislation to prevent derailments like the one in East Palestine but the bill failed due to lack of intra-caucus Republican support.
In June 2023, Vance voted against raising the debt ceiling standing against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. He argued it would result in a reduced military facing rising threats from China. In July 2023, he introduced legislation making gender-affirming care for minors a federal crime with penalties up to 12 years in prison. By June 2024, he sponsored the Dismantle DEI Act banning federal diversity programs receiving federal funds. At midnight on the 10th of January 2025, Vance resigned from the Senate anticipating his inauguration as vice president.
Donald Trump announced on the 15th of July 2024, that he had chosen Vance as his running mate during the first day of the Republican National Convention. Vance accepted the nomination three days later on July 17. North Dakota governor Doug Burgum and Florida senator Marco Rubio were finalists alongside South Carolina senator Tim Scott. Elon Musk responded hours after the announcement saying the ticket resounds with victory while David Sacks wrote this is who I want by Trump's side: an American patriot.
A CNN poll analysis in July 2024 showed a net-negative approval rating for Vance leading some analysts to call him a poor choice. After the October 2024 vice-presidential debate, a CBS News/YouGov poll found Vance's favorability rose from 40% to 49%. The poll included 1,630 likely debate viewers with a margin of error of 2.7 points. His unfavorability dropped from 54% to 47% while his opponent Walz saw ratings increase from 52% to 60%.
At noon on the 20th of January 2025, Vance became the 50th vice president sworn into office by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He was the first Marine Corps veteran to serve as vice president. Before inauguration he held a meeting with China's vice president Han Zheng discussing United States relations. Among his first acts was swearing in Secretary of State Marco Rubio on January 21 and casting a tie-breaking vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense on January 24.
In March 2025 Vance visited Greenland warning that the territory faced encroachment from powerful countries like China and Russia. He told Denmark they had not done a good job underinvesting in security architecture. During a the 28th of February 2025 meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vance interjected after 40 minutes of silence. He told Zelenskyy diplomacy is what makes America a good country while accusing him of showing a propaganda tour of Ukraine. The conversation turned hostile leading to the cancellation of a planned minerals deal between Ukraine and the U.S.
Vance describes himself as a national conservative right-wing populist and ideological successor to paleoconservatives such as Pat Buchanan. In 2016 he was an outspoken critic calling Trump reprehensible before publicly announcing support for him in 2021. That year he advised Trump to fire all civil servants and replace them with supporters. He has said if he were vice president during the 2020 election he would not have certified results.
By September 2016 Vance was thinking very seriously about converting to Catholicism though he entered college as an atheist. In August 2019 he was baptized and confirmed choosing Augustine of Hippo as his confirmation saint. Peter Thiel influenced his conversion which aligned with his political views. He drew criticism from Pope Francis and his successor Pope Leo XIV for misrepresenting Church teaching regarding migrant deportation. Vance invoked the traditional concept of ordo amoris interpreting it as loving his own nationals more than foreigners.
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Common questions
When was JD Vance born and where did he grow up?
James David Vance was born James Donald Bowman on the 2nd of August 1984, in Middletown, Ohio. He grew up in a home marked by poverty and abuse while his mother struggled with drug addiction.
What military service did JD Vance complete before entering politics?
Vance enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2003 after graduating from Middletown High School. He served as a combat correspondent for four years until leaving the service in 2007 and deployed to Iraq in 2005 for six months in a non-combat role writing articles and taking photographs.
How long did JD Vance serve as a senator for Ohio?
Vance was sworn into the Senate as Ohio's junior senator on the 3rd of January 2023, serving until the 3rd of January 2025. At midnight on the 10th of January 2025, Vance resigned from the Senate anticipating his inauguration as vice president.
Who selected JD Vance as their running mate for the 2024 election?
Donald Trump announced on the 15th of July 2024 that he had chosen Vance as his running mate during the first day of the Republican National Convention. Vance accepted the nomination three days later on July 17.
When did JD Vance become Vice President of the United States?
At noon on the 20th of January 2025, Vance became the 50th vice president sworn into office by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He was the first Marine Corps veteran to serve as vice president.