JD Vance

We’ll discuss the latest happenings in national politics with Ken Rudin, host of the Political Junkie podcast.

JD Vance is the first veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan to appear on a presidential ballot. But he isn’t a hawk; he leads a contingent of war veterans in the GOP who oppose U.S. military intervention overseas.

The senator from Ohio introduced himself to the world in 2016 when he published his bestselling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” under the name J.D. Vance — “like jay-dot-dee-dot,” he wrote, short for James David. In the book, he explained that this was not the first iteration of his name. Nor would it be the last.

If former president Donald Trump and his vice-presidential nominee pick—Ohio’s JD Vance—win the White House, DeWine gets to select who fills Vance's U.S. Senate seat.

Vance's book already had sold more than 3 million copies before Trump chose him for the Republican ticket.

The Republican vice presidential candidate represents a sharp break from the Republicanism of yesteryear.

Ohio State Sen. George Lang told a crowd waiting for GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance Monday that armed conflict could happen if Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump loses the election.

JD Vance had been expected to eventually face Vice President Kamala Harris in a debate. But with Biden dropping out and the Democratic ticket unsettled, the senator is following Trump’s lead and focusing on attacking Biden and Harris jointly.

The Columbus Metropolitan Library says over 500 holds were placed on their 100 copies of the memoir. Other libraries in Cincinnati and Middletown, however, still have available copies.

Some in Middletown, where Vance grew up with his grandparents, said he has never been an advocate for them. Even so, Vance’s roots could be enough for folks eager to see the “hometown kid” succeed.