COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – With Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump naming Ohio Senator JD Vance as his vice-presidential running mate, politicians from across the country are touting the state’s junior senator’s credentials.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine congratulated Vance on being the pick.
"A son of Middletown, Ohio, J.D. can relate to the many Americans who are struggling right now to make ends meet in this era of crushing inflation, and a housing market that is unaffordable and shutting many out of a chance at achieving the American dream,” DeWine wrote in a statement.
DeWine, who is at the Republican National Convention, didn't always see eye-to-eye with Trump when the latter was president. However, from the floor of the convention, DeWine said the choice of Vance would not change who he is voting for in November.
"I have said for months that I support the nominee of our party and I have said that I support Donald Trump, so that does not change that in any way," DeWine said.
Bernie Moreno, who is running against longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, echoed DeWine’s sentiment.
“JD is a dynamic, visionary leader who is the perfect messenger for the America First agenda alongside President Trump,” Moreno wrote in a statement.
Contrarily, the Ohio Democratic Party warned of “buyer’s remorse.”
“J.D. Vance is an out-of-touch millionaire who launched his political career by taking advantage of Ohio's opioid crisis and has spent his time in the Senate humiliating himself in the service of a convicted felon instead of working to improve the quality of life for Ohioans,” a statement from the party’s chairperson, Elizabeth Walters, read. “Ohio has buyers’ remorse. Donald Trump and the country will too.”
In a statement, Brown steered away from discussing Vance as a potential vice president.
"I've always put politics aside and worked with anyone to get things done for Ohio," Brown said. "That's what I've done with Senator Vance. My focus remains where it has always been -- delivering for Ohioians."
Vance, who was once a "never-Trump guy," earned the former president's endorsement in his 2022 Senate campaign (but not without a hiccup), playing a key role in Vance's victory.
“We have to pick somebody that can win,” Trump said of Vance in April 2022, “and this guy is tough, he’s smart, he’s a former Marine. … He’s a fearless MAGA fighter, he fights like crazy, and he loves Ohio.”
Vance was born in Middletown, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati. He served as a Marine after high school and studied political science and philosophy at Ohio State University. He rose to prominence with the publication of his book "Hillbilly Elegy," the story of his upbringing surrounded by poverty and drug addiction as well as his rise to Yale Law School; the book was made into a film by Netflix in 2020.
"Senator JD Vance is an Ohio State alum, a native Ohioan and a dedicated public servant, exemplifying the university motto Education for Citizenship," Ohio State posted to X, formerly Twitter, after the announcement. "Ohio State congratulates him on his selection to be the Republican vice presidential nominee."
