CNN Editorial Research
2 minute read
Published 3:05 PM EDT, Fri July 19, 2024
JD Vance, Donald Trump's running mate, takes the stage at the Republican National Convention in July 2024.
A young Vance is seen with his grandmother Bonnie Vance in this undated photo. Vance and his sister Lindsey were raised primarily by his grandparents, James andBonnie Vance.
Vance and his grandmother Bonnie, whom he called “Mamaw.”
Vance poses for a portrait near the US Capitol in January 2017.
Vance appears on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” in March 2017.
Vance adjusts a fallen sign during a campaign rally in Middletown, Ohio, in July 2021. There, he announced that he would be running for the US Senate seat being left by retiring Sen. Rob Portman.
Vance greets supporters during a Trump rally in Delaware, Ohio, in April 2022. A week earlier, Trump announced that he was endorsing Vance in the Republican Senate primary.
Vance, second from right, joins US Reps. Matt Gaetz, left, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, center, as they take pictures with supporters at a campaign rally in Newark, Ohio, in April 2022.
Vance speaks during a Trump rally in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, in May 2022.
Vance, coming off a win in the Republican primary, is trailed by reporters as he boards a US Capitol elevator in May 2022. Vance had been invited to attend the Republican Senate Policy Luncheon.
Vance puts a pin on an interactive map, marking the watershed near his home during a campaign event at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus in August 2022.
Trump watches as Vance speaks at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, in September 2022.
Vance holds his son Vivek as he arrives at a get-out-the-vote rally in Batavia, Ohio, in November 2022. Vance and his wife, Usha, have three children: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel.
Vance speaks at a campaign rally in Vandalia, Ohio, a day before the midterm election in November 2022.
Vance votes in Cincinnati in November 2022.
Vance speaks to supporters at an election-night watch party in Columbus, Ohio, in November 2022. His wife, Usha, is on the right. Vance defeated US Rep. Tim Ryan in the race.
Vance, second from right, poses with other Republican senators-elect as they meet with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in November 2022. From left are Markwayne Mullin, Ted Budd, McConnell, Katie Britt, Vance and Eric Schmitt.
Vance attends a hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in February 2023.
Vance, with Trump behind him, speaks to the media at the East Palestine Fire Department station in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023. A train carrying hazardous materials, including the toxic chemical vinyl chloride, had derailed in East Palestine, and the wreckage burned for days.
Vance and fellow Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown arrive for a Senate hearing about the East Palestine train derailment in March 2023. “I think the most important message to the people of East Palestine is that we will not forget about them in the months and years to come, and I think this committee hearing reinforces that message,” Vance said in his testimony.
Vance attends the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, in February 2024.
Vance steps on stage as Trump introduces him during a rally in Vandalia, Ohio, in March 2024.
Vance watches Trump speaks to the media at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York in May 2024. Vance was one of several potential running mates and Republican lawmakers to stand by Trump’s side during his criminal hush money trial.
Vance addresses the conservative Turning Point People’s Convention in Detroit in June 2024.
Vance speaks to the media in Atlanta after the CNN presidential debate between Trump and President Joe Biden in June 2024.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee as Vance was formally nominated as Trump's running mate in July 2024.
In pictures: Trump running mate JD Vance
CNN —
Here is a look at the life of JD Vance, a Republican senator from Ohio and vice presidential nominee.
Personal
Birth date: August 2, 1984
Birth place: Middletown, Ohio
Birth name: James Donald Bowman
Father: Donald Bowman
Mother: Beverly Aikins, nurse
Marriage: Usha (Chilukuri) Vance (2014-present)
Children: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel
Education: Ohio State University, B.A., 2009; Yale Law School, J.D., 2013
Military service: US Marine Corps, 2003–2007, Corporal
Religion: Catholic
Other Facts
Served in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
His mother struggled with drug addiction. Was raised mainly by his maternal grandparents.
Has had multiple middle and last name changes: James Donald Bowman, James David Hamel and James David Vance. Initially, his middle and last names changed when his mother remarried. When he married, he and his wife changed their last name to Vance.
Yale law professor Amy Chua convinced Vance to write his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.”
Was a key voice in the “Never Trump” movement during the 2016 presidential election and has publicly criticized former President Donald Trump. Vance liked tweets in 2016 and 2017 that harshly criticized Trump and his policies, and in a review of Vance’s media appearances by CNN’s KFile, has made anti-Trump comments in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Vance deleted past anti-Trump tweets ahead of his announcement in July 2021 that he would run for the open Ohio Senate seat.
Timeline
2014-2015 - Works as a litigator with Sidley Austin.
2016-2017 - Works at Mithril Capital Management.
June 28, 2016 - “Hillbilly Elegy,” which chronicles Vance’s childhood in a poor Rust Belt town in Ohio, is published.
March 27, 2017 - Joins Revolution LLCas a partner.
2019 - Forms Narya Capital.
2020 - “Hillbilly Elegy” is adapted into a Netflix movie.
July 1, 2021 - Announces he will run for the open Ohio Senate seat.
July 5, 2021 - On Fox News, Vance apologizes for criticizing Trump and asks viewers not to judge him on his past statements.
November 8, 2022 - Elected to the US Senate.
July 15, 2024 - Trump names Vance as his running mate.
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