JD Vance

In Office

U.S. Senator

Republican

MAGA

New Right

Politician

James David Vance (born August 2, 1984) is a U.S. Senator from Ohio since 2022. A Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq public affairs, he graduated from Ohio State University and Yale Law School. His 2016 memoir *Hillbilly Elegy* became a national bestseller, later adapted into a Netflix film. Vance worked as a venture capitalist, including at Peter Thiel-backed Mithril Capital. Elected to the Senate by defeating Tim Ryan, he focuses on manufacturing, opioids, and Appalachia. On July 15, 2024, Donald Trump selected him as his vice presidential running mate for the 2024 election.

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Corporate Backed

Independence Score

Says vs Does

What they claim vs what their actions show

🗣️ SAYS THEY ARE

Working-class populist conservative

⚡ ACTUALLY ALIGNS

MAGA movement and tech investors

🎯 Primary Loyalties (Ranked)

Donald Trump and MAGA base
Peter Thiel and associated donors
Ohio manufacturing interests
America First foreign policy advocates

📋 Actions That Prove It

✓Accepted support from over $15 million in super PAC spending backed by Peter Thiel during 2022 Ohio Senate campaign
✓Voted against the $95.34 billion national security supplemental aid package including Ukraine funding on April 23, 2024
✓Introduced S. 1271, the Steel Tariffs Reinstatement Act, in 2023 to impose duties on certain steel imports
✓Endorsed Donald Trump for president on February 5, 2021, after serving as a Trump critic in 2016

⚠️ Contradictions

•Portrayed personal background as representative of deindustrialized working class in 'Hillbilly Elegy' (2016) while building career at Yale Law School, Goldman Sachs, and Mithril Capital Management
•Campaign rhetoric against elite influence contrasted with receiving the largest individual donation in Senate history ($10 million) from billionaire Peter Thiel via super PAC in 2022
•Described Donald Trump as 'America's Hitler' and 'noxious' in 2016 private messages, later becoming Trump's vice presidential running mate in 2024

Career Background

•U.S. Marine Corps (2003-2007, deployed to Iraq)
•Yale Law School graduate and Yale Law Journal editor (JD, 2013)
•Law clerk to Judge David Bunning, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky (2013-2014)
•Principal at Mithril Capital Management (Peter Thiel's firm, 2015-2016)
•Author of 'Hillbilly Elegy' (2016)
•Investor at Revolution LLC (2017)
•Co-founder and managing partner of Narya Capital (2019-2022)
•U.S. Senator from Ohio (2023-present)
•Republican nominee for Vice President (2024)