What JD Vance Brings to the GOP Ticket

Donald Trump did not follow the advice from some Republicans to pick a running mate who would have made the presidential ticket more diverse—or one with less strident rhetoric than the former president's who might appeal to non-MAGA voters. There's not much daylight between Sen. JD Vance and Trump on issues, per the New York Times. And his evolution from harsh Trump critic to fierce defender will be fodder for Democratic ads. But Republicans are praising the choice. Here's how analysts assess what Vance brings to the ticket:

• Youth: Vance will be 40 on Inauguration Day and would be the third-youngest vice president ever, per the Hill. He was the youngest of the possibilities Trump was said to be considering. The backdrop, of course, is an unyouthful presidential matchup voters have complained about.

• Geography: The Ohio senator's Rust Belt roots and strength with white working-class voters could help Republicans in the nearby swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, per Politico. Biden took all three in 2020. Trump made such a point in his post announcing his selection, saying Vance "will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for, the American Workers and Farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond."
• Alignment: For his 2022 Senate campaign, Vance said he wrote this ad: "Joe Biden's open border is killing Ohioans. With more illegal drugs and more Democrat voters pouring into this country." So he and Trump are simpatico on immigration. Vance wants to finish Trump's border wall, per the Times, and says undocumented immigrants hurt American-born workers. He opposes access to abortion except when the mother's life is endangered. Vance could be so much in agreement with Trump that he's little help winning over independents and moderates, per the Wall Street Journal.
• 2020 presidential election: It was stolen from Trump, Vance has said. Had he been in Mike Pence's place, Vance said he would have rejected electoral results, as Trump wished, from states that Biden won.
• 2028 presidential election: "He's a young guy," said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican. "He is clearly now the future of the party, and this is a good thing."
• Nonpolitical name recognition: Vance's 2016 book, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, was a New York Times bestseller made into a 2020 movie.

(More JD Vance stories.)