RNC: Local and national reaction to JD Vance selection as VP
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- After much anticipation, the Republican presidential ticket became set Monday when after former President Donald Trump picked Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate.
Trump posted on social media, "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 JD Vance of the Great State of Ohio."
The 39-year-old from Middletown, Ohio greeted delegates on the convention floor shortly after Trump's announcement and received a warm welcome from attendees.
Vance did not make a speech, but he'll get that opportunity Wednesday when he formally accepts his vice president nomination.
Vance was among the least well-known candidates in consideration as possible running mates. However, some of the biggest Republican names in Milwaukee this week told CBS 58 reporters they believe Vance's lack of political experience, and even some of his past critical comments of Mr. Trump, give the new Republican ticket a unique boost.
Donald Trump Jr. downplayed concerns some Republicans had about wanting a VP with more experience when asked about his father's choice.
“If experience got the Republican Party where it is, with the exception of my father, I’ll take less experience and more resolve," Trump said.
Some members of Wisconsin's delegation said they were on board with Trump's choice and suggested his ties to the Midwestern could appeal to voters in the key swing state.
"Having someone who has that Midwestern feel, understands the Midwestern values on issues, is a complement to the ticket," Brian Schimming, chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said.
"It will help in Wisconsin, and he'll be a very good fit to campaign here."
Vance stood at Mr. Trump's side after the former president walked onto the convention floor to thunderous applause two days after surviving an assassination attempt in western Pennsylvania. The former president had a large gauze-style bandage over his right ear.
Republican strategist Bill McCoshen, who told CBS 58 last week he hoped Mr. Trump wouldn't pick Vance, said he believed the Ohio senator could potentially appeal to younger voters. If Republicans win back the White House, Vance would be the third-youngest vice president in U.S. history.
"Automatically, I don't think he changes the map in any way, shape or form, but if he's got an appeal to younger voters, that could play in a lot of different states," McCoshen said.
Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow agreed Vance could also help energize young voters.
"I think J.D. could be the next generation of the future we have here," Farrow said.
Vance, a former critic of Trump turned loyal ally, rose to the national spotlight after his bestseller memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," about his upbringing in rural Kentucky, became a major hit in 2016.
While many conservatives praised the book, others took offense to his take on the rural lifestyle and role of racism in politics.
Vance was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022 after defeating former Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan.
Ahead of his 2022 bid, Vance deleted controversial tweets about Trump and has since shifted toward a pro-Trump ally.
Among those criticisms in 2016, Vance wrote Mr. Trump was "unfit for our nation's highest office," and in one of his now-deleted tweets, called the former president "an idiot."
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said those past remarks could resonate with other voters who've warmed up to Mr. Trump.
"No, I think it's gonna reach people. Think about if you were a voter in 2016 and you didn't like President Trump then," McCarthy said. "I think it's gonna give people pause and say, 'If J.D. can come from there to here, maybe I should take a look at this.'"