A Brief History of JD Vance and His Populist Politics: QuickTake

Above all else, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s selection of JD Vance as his running mate for the 2024 election signals how powerful populism remains in US politics. Vance, a 39-year-old freshman senator from Ohio and the author of Hillbilly Elegy, has been one of the strongest voices for Trump’s brand of politics on Capitol Hill. He’s now positioned to be the standard-bearer of Trumpism after Trump.

Who is JD Vance?

The bearded senator, who often campaigns in jeans and a button-down shirt, rose from poverty to become a venture capitalist. Born in 1984 and raised in Middletown, ...