Ohio Senator Vance became best known for writing the memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.”
Trump’s announcement came just days after he survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, an episode that underlined the significance of his selecting a running mate who might be in line as Trump’s successor, and as the Republican National Convention was getting underway. In Vance, Trump has tapped an ambitious ideologue who relishes the spotlight and has shown he can energize donors on behalf of the presumptive nominee. His youth — there are nearly 40 years separating them, and Vance is the first millennial nominated to a major-party ticket — could prove a boon to the ticket, as voters have expressed concern over both Trump’s and Biden’s ages.
Yet the two men’s similarities could prove a drawback. Vance has rooted his career in speaking for the working class against elites, but in aligning himself so squarely with Trump, it is unclear whether he can bring voters to the table who are not on board. Vance is in lock step with Trump on nearly every issue, and he may not have much to offer more moderate or independent voters unenthusiastic about Trump’s policies or turned off by his actions leading up to and on Jan.
Embracing Trump’s false claims of widespread election fraud in 2020, similarly, proved a key loyalty litmus test for any candidate angling for the vice-presidential slot. More than any other top contender for a spot on the ticket, Vance has endorsed and promoted Trump’s lies that the election was stolen. Unlike Rubio or Scott, who both voted to certify Biden’s victory after police had managed to clear the Capitol of rioters on Jan.