BOSTON (WHDH) - Political experts reacted Monday after Donald Trump tapped J.D. Vance as his running mate at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Vance, a first-term Ohio senator, first garnered widespread attention after he published his bestselling 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.” Originally a sharp critic of Trump, Vance won his way into the senate in 2021 as a Trump ally.
“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social announcing Vance as his pick to join him on the ticket.
Within moments of Trump’s announcement, Neil Levesque, the executive director of the nonpartisan New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College, told 7NEWS he thought the former president “[had] chosen someone for the future of the Republican party.”
“This is about the future,” Levesque said.
Vance, 39, served in Iraq with the Marines before earning degrees from Ohio State University and Yale Law School, as reported by the Associated Press. Before entering politics, Vance also worked as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley.
Levesque said Vance’s background could be beneficial if he reaches a debate stage against current Vice President and former prosecutor Kamala Harris.
“He’s a smart person – Yale Law School,” Levesque said. “So, when we see the vice presidential debate, if there is such a debate, between two lawyers, I think it will be rather interesting.”
Levesque said Vance, who is well-known and well-liked within the Republican party, provides “great contrast” with Biden, 81, and with Trump, 78.
“This is about two different generations coming together in one party and I think that he’s expressed that with a 39-year-old pick,” he said.
As for Vance’s shorter political resume compared to other vice presidential frontrunners including Marco Rubio and Doug Burgum, Levesque said Vance’s newcomer status may actually be an asset.
“I’m not sure voters necessarily say that political experience is advantageous these days,” he said, pointing to Trump’s success in 2016.
Ultimately, Levesque said the assassination attempt targeting Trump at a rally on Saturday may have also played a role in Vance’s selection.
“If he didn’t make up his mind after Saturday, that might have sealed it,” he said. “What did the future look like in case something happened to him?”
“Vance being a US senator and a Yale educated lawyer is certainly someone who I’m sure that Republicans believe is qualified to be president,” Levesque continued.
—
WATCH: Emerson College pollster says Vance is a ‘fresh face’ on Republican ticket
—
After Trump made his Truth Social post, Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling, told 7NEWS that Vance is a “fresh face” who did not compete with Trump in any of his primary elections over the years — as opposed to Burgum and Rubio.
“It looks like he went with the Midwest and doubling down on the need to win Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, instead of what some were considering, maybe going down south with Sen. Marco Rubio and trying to cut more into the Hispanic vote,” Kimball said.
Historically, the vice presidential nominee has often helped win their home state for the president, Kimball said. Ohio is a red state. But the goal with Vance might be to win other states in the region, he said.
“Obviously it doubles down for Trump on the male voter,” Kimball said. “That’s been his strength for the last eight years and he’s putting a white, male, middle-aged candidate in as his VP.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)