Why Trump picked Vance as his running mate

After months of speculation and many names being floated, former President Trump announced Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R) as his running mate for the 2024 GOP presidential ticket. 

Trump’s decision was seemingly not set until shortly before he made the announcement on Truth Social on Monday, the first day of the Republican National Convention. But Vance beat out many other contenders who were under consideration to be Trump’s running mate, including the apparent other finalists, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R). 

Vance has embarked on a long path, going from one of Trump’s most fierce critics in the GOP during the 2016 campaign to running alongside him for the White House in 2024. But much has changed since then that made Vance an appealing choice for Trump as his second-in-command. 

The first-term senator has greatly distanced himself from the comments he made about Trump eight years ago. Vance called Trump “noxious” and “reprehensible” and considered himself a “Never Trump guy.” 

He also called on the GOP to not make excuses for Trump following the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape in which the then-candidate was heard bragging about being able to grab women’s private parts because he is a “star.” 

“Fellow Christians, everyone is watching us. When we apologize for this man, lord help us,” Vance posted on social media.

But Vance began to defend Trump during his administration and has been one of his most ardent supporters since then. He deleted old posts criticizing Trump and expressed regret about posting them. 

Vance supported Trump for reelection in 2020, and Trump endorsed Vance when he was running for the Republican nomination for Senate in Ohio in 2022. 

Vance reiterated in an interview in May with CNN’s Dana Bash that his previous critiques of Trump were “wrong.”

“I didn’t think he was going to be a good president, Dana, and I was very, very proud to be proven wrong. It’s one of the reasons why I’m working so hard to get him elected,” he said. 

He also has backed Trump’s false claims of voter fraud costing him reelection in the 2020 presidential election and slammed the criminal charges that have been filed against the former president as a sham.

Vance will also bring a bit of a name-recognition advantage. He received attention for his 2016 book, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” which became a New York Times bestseller. The book eventually became a movie, released in 2020. 

His home state of Ohio will also play a key role in November, with a competitive Senate race for Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (D). Brown faces Republican Bernie Moreno in what will likely be a tight race that could help determine which party will control the Senate in the next session of Congress. 

Although Ohio has been trending more conservative recently and Trump will likely carry the state easily, Brown has been in office for years and enjoys high popularity, making the Senate contest tougher for Republicans. Vance hailing from the Buckeye State could draw more focus on picking up that seat as the GOP tries to retake the Senate majority. 

He also brings a balance to the ticket in age, with Trump as the oldest Republican nominee in history. Vance would be just 40 years old on Inauguration Day, and he would be the third-youngest vice president ever, if elected. 

As the youngest of all the major choices that Trump considered, Vance brings youth to the Republican ticket, with members of both parties expressing an eagerness for the next generation of leaders for the country.