A Few Things to Know About J.D. Vance, the Republican Nominee for Vice President

A Few Things to Know About J.D. Vance, the Republican Nominee for Vice President 

J.D. Vance, the junior senator from Ohio, has become former President Trump’s running mate as he attempts to take back the White House. Senator Vance, the first millennial to join a presidential ticket, was formerly a fierce critic of Trump, but will now spend most of his time making the case for a Republican second term. A former venture capitalist, Vance first hit the national stage in 2016 when he published Hillbilly Elegy and was then elected to the Senate in 2022. Recently, Vance has become one of Trump’s staunchest supporters on key issues like foreign policy, immigration and trade. Here are a few things you should know about J.D. Vance, the Republican Nominee for Vice President. 

1. Born and raised in Ohio, Hillbilly Elegy propelled Vance to the national stage

“What separates the successful from the unsuccessful are the expectations that they had for their own lives. Yet the message of the right is increasingly: It’s not your fault that you’re a loser; it’s the government’s fault.”

-J.D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir Of a Family and Culture in Crisis

• After serving in the Marine Corps, Vance completed his undergraduate education at Ohio State and his juris doctor at Yale Law School.
• Elegy recounts the effects of the collapse of many local institutions, from the family to civic organizations and churches—and most importantly of employment—that gave rise to welfare dependency, drug use and generational poverty among white, working-class Americans.
• At the time, the book was seen by many commentators as an explainer on the challenges for the white-working class voters who voted for Trump in 2016. As described by the book, these voters were looking for a reason for their struggles and wanted someone to change the trajectory of their lives as they often feel “forgotten.” 

2. This pick is designed to help former President Trump with his base and brand the future

• Vance is officially a Trump Republican. He’s blamed offshoring and immigration as contributing factors to the working classes' inability to get ahead in America, has not committed to accepting the results of 2024 (he said he would not have certified the 2020 election), and has been a vocal opponent of aid to Ukraine. The campaign is betting that Vance’s “rust belt” credentials will resonate in the states where he needs votes, like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.
• J.D. Vance is significantly younger than former President Trump. If elected, he would be the third-youngest vice president in history—Nixon and Breckenridge have him beat by a slim margin. But youth isn’t just a number—it’s a signal that Republicans plan to start figuring out what the future looks like after (and if) Trump finishes a second term. This isn’t unique to Republicans; Democrats have had a hard time passing the torch to the next generation, too. 

3. Vance has worked in law, finance and the tech sector  

• Vance worked in the tech industry as a venture capitalist as a principal at Peter Thiel’s firm, Mithril Capital. Thiel is an outspoken Silicon Valley supporter of Donald Trump and a well-known libertarian. Thiel supported Vance with significant political contributions during his Senate run.
• After leaving Thiel’s firm, Vance joined Revolution LLC, an investment firm founded by AOL cofounder Steve Case, as an investment partner. At Revolution, Vance helped advance the “Rise of the Rest” initiative that sought opportunities to invest in places outside traditional startup markets like California and New York.
• Later he co-founded Narya Capital in Cincinnati with financial backing from Thiel, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and legendary billionaire tech investor Marc Andreessen. Narya invested in a number of Midwestern startups, including drug development and gene therapy company AmplifyBio and indoor farming startup AppHarvest. 

4. Vance has evolved himself to fit the new Trump Republican Party

• You’d be forgiven if the last time you checked in with J.D. Vance, you thought he didn’t like Donald Trump. In 2016, he was a “never Trump conservative” who once compared the former President to Hitler. However, Vance has gone through a transition into the 2024 Vice Presidential nominee we see today. Here are a few highlights of where he stands on the issues:
  • Vance blames corporations for shipping jobs overseas: As a venture capitalist, Vance attended Allen & Co’s Sun Valley Conference with some of the biggest names in Corporate America. Today, Vance is an outspoken corporate critic. He blamed corporations for shipping jobs to China and was critical of porous border security that companies leveraged for cheap labor.
  • Climate Advocate to Climate Skeptic: Vance’s views on energy and climate have evolved. In 2020, Vance said, “we have a climate problem in our society” and criticized natural gas, saying it couldn’t “take us to a clean energy future.” But more recently, Vance has stated, “I’m skeptical of the idea that climate change is caused purely by man.”
  • Tariffs and America First Foreign Policy: Vance supports trade tariffs and opposes US intervention in foreign conflicts, particularly the war between Russia and Ukraine.
  • A Champion for the Culture Wars: On social issues, Vance largely aligns with social conservatives. Vance introduced legislation to ban gender-affirming care for minors and a bill to eliminate diversity programs (also sometimes referred to as DEI) in the federal government. 

We’ve Partnered with S3 to Bring You a Selection of J.D. Vance’s Legislative Record 

Rail safety and the East Palestine derailment

• Railway Safety Act (S.576): Vance and fellow Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown (D) are the lead sponsors of legislation filed in March 2023, which was approved by the Commerce Committee, establishing heightened safety requirements for rail carriers and trains transporting hazardous materials.
• East Palestine Health Impact Monitoring Act (S.4045): Vance, Brown, and Pennsylvania Senators Bob Casey (D) and John Fetterman (D) filed legislation in March 2024, which was approved by the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, requiring a study on the public health impacts of the train derailment in East Palestine.

Technology

• PRESERVE Online Speech Act (S.2314): Vance and Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) filed legislation requiring covered platforms to publicly disclose content moderation requests or recommendations by governmental entities.
• COOL Online Act (S.1421): Vance and Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Rick Scott (R-FL), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) filed legislation in May 2023, which has been approved by the Commerce Committee, requiring sellers of imported products online to disclose the country of origin of the products and the country where the seller is located.
• Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act (S.3565): Vance and Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) filed legislation in January 2024 appropriating $7 billion in funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program.

Trade

• Strengthening Tariffs on Chinese Autos Act (S.3868): Vance has cosponsored legislation filed by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) imposing a tariff of $20,000 per motor vehicle produced in or by China.
• De Minimis Reciprocity Act (S.1969): Vance and Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-FL) filed legislation in June 2024 requiring the Treasury Department to prescribe regulations establishing dollar-amount thresholds for de minimis entries and to establish conditions for excluding countries from de minimis treatment. China and Russia would be required by statute to be excluded.
• Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act (S.1856): Vance is an original cosponsor of legislation led by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Todd Young (R-IN) establishing a process for successive antidumping and countervailing duty investigations and authorizing Commerce to investigate currency undervaluation as a countervailable subsidy.
• No EV Credits for Idle Allies Act (S.1242): Vance and Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) filed legislation in April 2023 excluding critical minerals extracted or processed in Germany or France from qualifying for the clean vehicle tax credit because of their purportedly insufficient levels of assistance to Ukraine.
• Fighting Trade Cheats Act (S.805): Vance has cosponsored legislation led by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) that increases penalties for and enhances enforcement mechanisms against fraudulent and grossly negligent violations of US customs laws.
• SAFE Act (S.854): Vance and Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Mike Lee (R-UT) filed legislation in March 2023 requiring issuers of securities to disclose financial support from China and links to the Chinese government or the Chinese Communist Party as a condition of listing on a national exchange.
• China Trade Relations Act (S.125): Vance and Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Ted Budd (R-NC) filed legislation in January 2023 withdrawing permanent normal trade relations with China.

Climate and the Inflation Reduction Act

• Natural Gas Tax Repeal Act (S.4405): Vance is an original sponsor of legislation filed in May 2024 repealing the Inflation Reduction Act’s methane emissions and waste reduction program for petroleum and natural gas tax.
• Putting American Autoworkers First Act (S.3397): Vance and Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO) filed legislation in December 2023 excluding offshoring manufacturers from the clean vehicle credit.
• Drive American Act (S.2962): Vance filed legislation in September 2023 repealing tax incentives for electric vehicles, commercial clean vehicles, and alternative fuel refueling property credit, and establishing an “America First Vehicle Credit” for automobiles made in the US.
• Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions: Vance filed an amendment to the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act in March 2024 that would prohibit the Securities and Exchange Commission from using funds to finalize any rulemaking requiring the disclosure of Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.

Education

• Encampments or Endowments Act (S.4295): Vance filed legislation in May 2024 establishing that institutions of education are ineligible for funds under the Higher Education Act due to campus disorder, including encampments.
• American Workforce Act (S.4287): Vance and Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) filed legislation in May 2024 establishing a program of workforce development as an alternative to college.
• College Admissions Accountability Act (S.3396): Vance and Senators Ted Budd (R-NC), Mike Braun (R-IN), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) filed legislation in December 2023 establishing the Office of the Special Inspector General for Unlawful Discrimination in Higher Education within the Department of Education.

Immigration

• College Employment Accountability Act (S.3978): Vance and Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Ted Budd (R-NC) filed legislation in March 2024 prohibiting institutions of higher education employing unauthorized aliens from receiving federal aid and conditioning eligibility on participation in the E-Verify Program.
• No Community Block Grants for Sanctuary Cities (S.3915): Vance and Senator Bill Hagerty (R-FL) filed legislation in March 2024 prohibiting sanctuary jurisdictions from receiving community development block grants.
• State Border Security Act (S.3668): Vance filed legislation in January 2024 authorizing states to erect temporary protective fencing within 25 miles of the southwest border to deter illegal immigration.
• Timely Departure Act (S.2656): Vance filed legislation in July 2023 requiring undocumented immigrants seeking admission to the US to pay a bond or cash payment.
• English Language Unity Act (S.1109): Vance and Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) filed legislation in March 2023 establishing English as the official language of the US.

Banking

• Bank Failure Prevention Act (S.2497): Vance filed legislation in July 2023 converting state-chartered banks that have at least $100 billion in assets to nationally chartered financial institutions overseen by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, as opposed to the Federal Reserve or Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. 
• Financial Regulatory Accountability Act (S.2335): Vance and Senators Cynthia Lummis (RWY) and Roger Marshall (RKS) filed legislation in July 2023 establishing the Office of the Special Inspector General for Financial Regulatory Abuses and Misconduct within the Treasury Department. 

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