JD Vance
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James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman; August 2, 1984) is an American politician and author serving as the 50th vice president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Ohio in the United States Senate from 2023 to 2025. Born and raised in Middletown, Ohio, Vance enlisted in the U . Marine Corps in 2003, serving as a military journalist in public affairs throughout his four-year tenure until 2007. He earned a bachelor's degree from Ohio State University and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. After a brief career in corporate law, Vance worked for Peter Thiel's venture capital firm Mithril Capital. Vance rose to national prominence with his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which received widespread attention as scholars and journalists sought to understand white working-class disaffection after Donald Trump's election; the book spoke to a broader political realignment sweeping post-industrial Appalachia and the Midwest, and was adapted into a film adaptation in 2020. Vance was originally critical of Trump's candidacy, but became a strong supporter during Trump's presidency. He converted to Roman Catholicism in 2019. He was elected to the Senate in 2022, defeating Democratic nominee Tim Ryan in the general election after winning a crowded Republican primary with Trump's endorsement. Vance was selected as Trump's running mate in the 2024 presidential election and resigned from the Senate before his inauguration as vice president. During his tenure as vice president, he has also served as finance chair of the Republican National Committee. Vance has cited Catholic theology as an influence on his views, but both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV have criticized him for misrepresenting Church teaching. He has been described as a national conservative and right-wing populist, aligning himself with the "postliberal" New Right movement. His political platform is characterized by opposition to immigration, abortion, same-sex marriage, gun control, and U . support for Ukraine, and he is an outspoken critic of childlessness.