J. D. Vance (US writer and venture capitalist) Add a review

James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman, August 2, 1984) is an American politician and author who is the 50th vice president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Ohio in the United States Senate from 2023 to 2025.

Born and raised in Middletown, Ohio, Vance enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2003 and was a military journalist throughout his four-year tenure until 2007. He earned a bachelor's degree from Ohio State University and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. After briefly working as a corporate lawyer, Vance became a venture capitalist at Peter Thiel's Mithril Capital. In 2016, he published Hillbilly Elegy, a bestselling memoir that brought him national attention.

After opposing Donald Trump's candidacy in the 2016 election, Vance became a strong Trump supporter during Trump's first presidency and was selected as his running mate in the 2024 election. He resigned from the Senate shortly before his inauguration as vice president. During his tenure as vice president, he has been the finance chair of the Republican National Committee.

Vance has been characterized as a national conservative and right-wing populist, and describes himself as a member of the postliberal right. His political positions include opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage, and gun control. Vance is an outspoken critic of childlessness and has acknowledged the influence of Catholic theology on his sociopolitical positions.