The selection of Sen. JD Vance as former President Donald Trump’s running mate sent a surge of excitement through Southern California’s Republicans, who are amped up by the energy they say the 39-year-old politician will bring to the ticket.
Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022, Vance is a former Marine who rose to prominence through the publication of his 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” capturing his experience growing up in the working-class community of Middletown, Ohio. He is now the first millennial to appear on the presidential ticket of a major U.S. political party.
Trump made his selection as the Republican National Convention got underway on Monday — and news of the pick quickly swept through the crowd of Republicans gathered in the Fiserv Forum arena in Milwaukee.
Vance’s selection is a testament to Trump’s “vision of moving America forward,” said Nikan Khatibi, one of California’s delegates at the convention.
“Millennials were the largest generation group in the U.S. in 2023 and have surpassed baby boomers as the biggest population group,” the Orange County resident said. “As a millennial myself, it is a smart choice for the president to align himself with a running mate who can bring a unique perspective to a demographic that is thirsty for political representation.”
In addition to the welcome infusion of youth into a race between two aging politicians, regional Republicans said that Vance’s Rust Belt roots will resonate with voters in critical swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
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“Bringing somebody like JD in, who really comes from a true working-class family, is exactly who Trump is trying to reach — the forgotten people of this country, the steelworkers, the coal miners, the folks that are breaking their backs to make this society work,” said Tim O’Reilly, chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County
“I think we’re going to see a real rising up of the heartland of this country.” he continued. “It’s very exciting.”
Arianna Assenmacher, chair of the California Young Republican Federation was “surprised but thrilled” by the selection of Vance, who has comparably less experience in office than many of the other shortlisted contenders, such as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
“Having somebody who’s 39 as the second person behind Trump, for me, signifies that he’s here to lead future generations in Trump’s legacy,” she said. “I think that he brings a lot to the table as far as what he’s been able to do in Ohio and the Rust Belt. And the possibility of flipping a few of the states in that region would, in my opinion, secure victory for the ticket.”
Assenmacher’s group, the Young Republican Federation, works with Republicans in the 18 to 40 bracket to become more politically engaged. Three of the four young Republicans currently serving in the state Assembly come from Southern California: Assemblymembers Bill Essayli, R-Corona; Kate Sanchez, R-Rancho Santa Margarita; and Greg Wallace, R-Rancho Mirage.
Assenmacher hopes that if Vance becomes vice president, he will inspire more young Republicans to run for office in California.
“I think more young people are turning to the Republican Party, to Trump, and now with JD Vance as the face of that, I think young Republicans are going to have a major opportunity to really brand ourselves as the leaders of the party to come,” she said.
Vance’s selection, said Jon Fleischman, former executive director of the California Republican Party, signifies that Trump is looking for a running mate who will also be a close partner in running the country. Out of all of the shortlisted candidates, he said, Vance is “the most MAGA of the bunch.”
“Trump, I think, was informed by what he felt were some problems with (former Vice President Mike) Pence the last go around, and so I think he really erred on the side of picking a vice presidential nominee who would be very loyal to him,” said Fleischman.
Pence broke with Trump publicly in 2020 when he refused to support Trump’s allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election, which Trump lost. Pence, who ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination this year, said he “cannot in good conscience” endorse Trump this go-round.
Fleischman compared Trump’s selection of Vance as running mate to Bush’s pick of Dick Cheney in 2000, noting that he expects Vance to also be an unusually active vice president.
“Bush picked Cheney because he wanted somebody who he was very close with, who would help him run the federal government, and I think this is kind of that same model for Trump,” he said. “Should he win, Vance is somebody who would be intimately involved with the running of government.”
While Vance is now a MAGA loyalist, he was a sharp critic of Trump during the 2016 election cycle, calling him “reprehensible” and “an idiot.” Vance’s sharp turn to ardent supporter has prompted many Democrats to accuse him of being driven by opportunism and rather than ideology.
Fleischman, however, dismissed this criticism, saying that if Vance’s loyalty is strong enough for Trump to accept, it will be strong enough for voters as well.
Editor Kaitlyn Schallhorn contributed to this report.
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