Who is JD Vance?
James David Vance, or widely known as JD Vance takes center stage as the newly minted VP of Trump at day three of the RNC Convention, this was his debut night to make his case to Trump’s voters and to the unconvinced ones on why Trump should replace Biden. Vance talks about his small town upbringing and reminded everyone of Trump’s defiant fist and calls to fight after the failed assassination at Butler, “When Donald Trump rose to his feet in that Pennsylvania field, all of America stood with him” So who is JD Vance? He grew up in a working class family in the Rust Belt district of Middletown, Ohio. Growing up, he went through significant challenges that not only include economic hardship but also family instability. His mom went through her own deep struggles with addiction that profoundly impacted JD and perhaps had formed his political philosophy in life, to fight for the forgotten and the oppressed. Academically at Middletown High School, JD excelled, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps after graduation and he served in Iraq. After his military service, he went on to study at Ohio State where he earned a degree in Political Science and Philosophy, that led to Yale Law School where he earned his Juris Doctor degree in 2013. The most important event in Vance life that impacted his core being is his marriage to Usha Vance (née Chilukuri), whom he met while studying at Yale Law School, the couple had two children.
Vance later on, took a job at a law firm and he shifted to a venture capital company called Mithril Capital Management but it was his 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a family and culture in crisis” that was adapted into a Netflix film which Ron Howard directed in 2020 that catapulted JD into national stardom because readers and viewers was able to really connect with his literary work as it directly resonates with their middle class socio-economic struggles.
Around late 2010's as he discussed middle class issues, he became a vocal commentator for rural and working class Americans in all mediums, elevating his popularity on a national scene as a champion of the working class. He announced his candidacy in 2021, vying for a Ohio Senate seat, his winning issues on Immigration, Trade and Economic policies resonated with conservative circles. In the 2022 midterm elections, Vance won the Republican primary and went on to defeat his Democratic opponent in the general election, securing his place as a U.S. Senator from Ohio. His victory was seen as part of a broader shift in American politics, reflecting the growing influence of populist and nationalist sentiments within the Republican Party.
And this led us to Day 3 of the RNC event, where JD Vance if Donald Trump win will just be heart beats away from becoming the President of the United States, as he takes on the new role as Trump’s VP, which probably will solidify him as a potential Presidential candidate and even the new mainstream Republican candidate on the next election cycle, that is if Trump decides not to secure another term if he wins the White House in November.
