COLUMBUS, Ohio — Vice presidential candidate JD Vance attempted to woo — and succeeded with Ohio Republicans — working-class voters during his first speech after being nominated by former President Donald Trump.
All eyes were on Vance as he took center stage Wednesday evening at the Republican National Convention.
"I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from," Vance said in his 30-minute speech.
He highlighted his rural midwest upbringing, saying there "is still so much talent and grit in the American Heartland."
Vance first came on to the national scene with his book Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, showing a traumatic childhood in Southwest Ohio and his journey to success, experiences he took to voters in 2021 when he launched his first bid for public office, seeking to fill the seat of retiring U.S. Senator Rob Portman.
Much of his speech echoed the plight of his book, along with professions of adoration to his ticket mate, Trump.
"President Trump represents America's last best hope to restore what, if lost, may never be found again — a country where a working-class boy born far from the halls of power can stand on this stage as the next vice president of the United States of America," the VP candidate said.
And the speech resonated with Northwest Ohioan Josh Culling, who was watching from the crowd.
"As an Ohioan who has lived in Ohio my whole life, and has struggled in certain ways, he's very representative of that," Culling, a Republican strategist and former state central committee member, said. "Ohio's story is America's story."
Although not a delegate, Culling is a part of the Ohio group that attended the RNC.
"I think that the mood in the convention center last night reflected the excitement that the Republican party and I think the country has for JD Vance as vice president," he added.
Vance is relatable for another reason — his age, Culling said. Vance is young and about to turn 40 in August.
"It's a breath of fresh air for our party and frankly, for the country — given how the boomers have run stuff for the last few decades," he, a millennial, added.
Vance mainly focused on representing the forgotten and bringing jobs back to the United States.
"We need a leader who's not in the pocket of big business, but answers to the working man — union and non-union alike," Vance said.
Kellie Copeland with Abortion Forward wasn’t impressed.
"People have real concerns and I think it's smart to address that, but the problem is — he doesn't have a record to back it up," Copeland said.
Vance became a venture capitalist, working in Silicon Valley for years. She added that he hasn’t done anything in the U.S. Senate to support laborers.
National Democrats slammed Vance for what they call actions that don't line up with his rhetoric.
“JD Vance pretends to be a populist but is just another MAGA Republican in the pocket of special interests. At every opportunity, Vance leaves hard-working Americans behind, siding with his Silicon Valley benefactors, Project 2025 cronies, and Trump’s billionaire Mar-a-Lago buddies. Vance doesn’t care if the Trump-Vance tax scam leads to an ‘inflation bomb’ that will skyrocket costs for working families. When the chips were down, Vance turned his back on unions, opposing legislation to raise wages, benefits, and working conditions for members. And when bipartisan funding was on the table to secure our border and increase fentanyl screenings to tackle the opioid epidemic, Vance followed Trump’s order to ‘kill’ the deal," a statement by DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd said.
Historically, the GOP is not typically the party of choice for unions, which Culling acknowledged.
"The Republican Party has really shifted demographically in the last eight to 10 years to really prioritize the desires, the needs, the struggles of the working class," the strategist said. "If America is gonna be the world's strongest economy, we should share the fruits of that labor with the laborers that build our country."
RNC Delegate Shawn Parker said with Vance's help, Ohio will return to the national stage as the "leader of America."
"Factory jobs are going to come back to Ohio," Parker said. "Ohio is roaring like a lion right now and I don't think you've heard the loudest draw, it's getting louder and louder."
Repeatedly, the VP candidate mentioned Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio as areas that he wanted to invest in, bringing back jobs to those areas that were currently overseas.
Parker also appreciated Vance's take on foreign policy.
"We feel the president's administration has been woefully delinquent on — understanding that the world is safe and stable," Parker said. "Europe looks to the United States to provide leadership and to provide a guiding star."
Currently, more than 110 armed conflicts are occurring worldwide, according to the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, including, but not limited to Ukraine-Russia, Israel-Hamas and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Myanmar, insurgency in the Maghreb and the Sudanese civil war.
But those aren't happening on United States soil, Vance has argued.
"We will make sure our allies share in the burden of securing world peace," Vance said. "No more free rides for nations that betray the generosity of the American taxpayer. Together, we will send our kids to war only when we must."
Vance has expressed his discontent with how the U.S. is getting involved in the Ukrainian war. In an interview with Steve Bannon, Vance remarked, "I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another." Vance also wrote to the Financial Times that Europe is costing the American people.
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Abortion
Copeland took issue with Vance leaving out his beliefs on social issues from his speech. He is trying to appeal to swing voters, she said.
"He's for a national ban on abortion, apparently with also travel bans. He doesn't want people from states that ban abortion to be able to travel to other states," she said. "But yet he's trying to appear more mainstream."
Back when he was running for Senate in 2022, Vance told the Very Fine People podcast that he would "like abortion to be illegal nationally." He also likened abortion to slavery.
Recently, Trump said that he didn't want a national ban.
“My view is now that we have abortion where everyone wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both. And whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state,” Trump said in an April 8 video on Truth Social.
Vance has since shifted his public comments about abortion,
"We have to recognize how much voters mistrust us (meaning elected Republicans) on this issue," said in a post on X.
An in-depth CNN article detailed his comments, including one where he told them, "We have to accept that people do not want blanket abortion bans.”
Copeland warns not to trust either of the politicians.
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"They're just changing the rhetoric that they're putting forward to voters for a few weeks so that they can get elected," she said. "They're not actually changing their minds."
Parker argued that Dems are grasping at straws.
"They're trying to frame JD Vance," Parker said. "The abortion question is really not so much a federal issue right now, that's moved to the states."
Thursday morning, Vance spoke at a prayer breakfast and addressed social issues.
"Social conservatives have a seat at this table, and they always will, so long as I have any influence in this party," Vance said.
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