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You may know him as the author of the national bestselling book "Hillbilly Elegy." Or you may know him as the Republican senator from Ohio. But if neither of those ring a bell, then you will certainly come to know the name JD Vance in the coming months as the vice presidential nominee and running mate to former President Donald Trump.
Trump made the announcement Monday on his Truth Social platform as Day 1 of the Republican National Convention was underway in Milwaukee. The pick came just moments before Trump received support from a majority of delegates to officially make him the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
Trump has clearly dominated headlines in the American news cycle for decades, but what do we know about his new running mate?
Watch: Learn more about the background of JD Vance
The 39-year-old Vance was raised in the Rust Belt and has Appalachian roots, born in Middletown, Ohio, while spending time in Jackson, Kentucky. He later attended Yale Law School where he would meet his future wife, Usha. She is a child of Indian immigrants who after law school reportedly held clerkships with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, as well as Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he was an appeals court judge, according to the New York Times. The pair married in 2014 and have three children together.
Prior to entering politics, Vance worked at a corporate law firm before moving to San Francisco to become a venture capitalist. He is also the author "Hillbilly Elegy," a bestselling memoir-turned-Netflix movie about working-class America. The book paints a raw picture of Vance's family history living in rural America, primarily focusing on his childhood upbringing in — and eventual journey out of — a community riddled by substance abuse, poverty, and overall instability.
RELATED STORY | Who is Usha Vance? Things you should know about the wife of Trump's running mate
Vance is a relative newcomer to politics. He was elected in 2022 as the junior U.S. senator from Ohio. And before a rather recent change in demeanor, Vance was actually a vocal critic of former President Trump, telling American journalist and talk show host Charlie Rose in October 2016, "I never liked him," and even calling him "a terrible candidate" at the time.
However, those feelings appeared to change after Trump won the White House just a month later. Vance stopped the attacks, eventually apologized, and by 2022, Trump was campaigning for Vance.
During his short time on Capitol Hill, Vance has positioned himself with far-right wings of the Republican party, often standing against issues concerning reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ rights. However, he has recently walked back some of his opinions — notably on reproductive rights — after Trump reportedly said he viewed those with a hard-line stance on abortion as harmful to the Republican party and its agenda.
Watch: Scripps News Political Analyst Asa Hutchinson weighs in on Trump picking Vance as running mate
In recent presidential election years, the pick of vice president has rarely made a difference in the polls. However, this year it was being watched more closely, not just because of the age of the two leading presidential candidates, but also because of the number of undecided voters that still exist in many key swing states.
RELATED STORY | How Trump has molded the RNC to fit his MAGA agenda
Before the November election, Vance will be tasked with debating Vice President Kamala Harris in the coming weeks. Harris accepted an invitation from CBS News to debate Trump's running mate on either July 23 or August 13. Vance could also have a huge impact on American politics for years to come. Former President Trump can only serve one more term, so his running mate pick could be considered the heir apparent to Trump's MAGA political movement.
