James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman; August 2, 1984) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Ohio since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he was announced as Donald Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket for the 2024 United States presidential election during the 2024 Republican National Convention, making him the first millennial to be on a presidential ticket of a major party in the United States.
Born in Middletown, Ohio, Vance served in the Marine Corps before studying political science and philosophy at Ohio State University and earning a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. He came to prominence with his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which describes his upbringing in Middletown and his family's Appalachian values. It became a New York Times bestseller and attracted significant press attention during the 2016 United States presidential election. Originally, Vance was a critic of Trump and in 2016 wrote a critical piece in The Atlantic against him, but he later came to support him.
Vance launched his first political campaign for Ohio's Senate seat in 2021 and won the Republican nomination after being endorsed by Trump. He defeated Democratic nominee Tim Ryan in the general election.
Did you find this review helpful?