JD Vance went from Appalachian memoirist to one of the most aggressively populist national figures in Republican politics. His book Hillbilly Elegy built his identity on blunt, sometimes bleak observations about class collapse, addiction, and cultural decay in deindustrialized America. He then converted that voice into a political project: defend what’s left of working-class towns, punish the elites he blames for hollowing them out, and refuse to apologize for the anger.
As Vice President, Vance positions himself as the heir to the Trump movement — same enemies, same tone, but pitched with a Rust Belt and Appalachian flavor. He talks about fentanyl, factory closures, lost fathers, and broken schools as symptoms of an America that was gutted on purpose by the people in charge. That rhetoric gives him credibility with rural and post-industrial voters who think politics ignored them for 30 years.
Vance is openly hostile to what he calls “the establishment,” including large parts of his own party. He argues that corporate offshoring, open-border labor flows, and forever wars abroad were elite projects that enriched donors and consultants while entire regions of the country collapsed. He paints himself as the guy who will not go back to pre-Trump Republicanism, ever.
Right-Wing Populist
Points of Influence
- Working-Class Populism: Vance pushes the message that the system is rigged — not in a vague culture-war sense, but economically: bad trade deals, outsourced jobs, fentanyl pipelines, collapsing towns.
- Anti-Elite Framing: He attacks Big Tech, universities, media, multinational corporations, and even Pentagon leadership as a single class that profits while normal Americans drown.
- Foreign Policy Skepticism: Vance is comfortable saying bluntly that some U.S. alliances aren’t worth the cost. He leans against long-term military entanglements and questions open-ended aid commitments.
- Cultural Aggression: He’s willing to go straight at hot-button culture fights — gender/education, policing, urban crime — and blame “Democratic elites” in a way that thrills the base and infuriates opponents.
- Succession Narrative: Vance is talked about (and wants to be seen) as the post-Trump standard-bearer: same populism, but younger, angrier, and more explicitly anti-institution.
Controversies
- Rhetoric on Class and Place: His “ticket to somewhere else” view of poverty draws fire from critics who say it writes off whole communities instead of fixing them. Supporters say he’s just telling the truth.
- Flip from Anti-Trump to Inner Circle: Early on, Vance blasted Trump. Now he’s Vice President. Opponents call that naked ambition; he says he changed his mind after seeing Trump’s results.
- Populist vs. Governing Reality: He promises the working class protection from global markets, but governing with corporate donors and Senate Republicans forces compromises that his base doesn’t always like.
- Isolationist Accusations: Traditional hawks warn that Vance’s skepticism of foreign commitments invites rivals (Russia, China, Iran) to push harder, not back off.
- Polarization as Strategy: To allies, Vance “tells uncomfortable truths.” To critics, he ’s an accelerant — someone who escalates resentment and distrust because resentment and distrust are his fuel.
Top Donors
| Contributor | Total | Individuals | PACs |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Republican Senatorial Cmte | $51,200 | $0 | $51,200 |
| Kaivac Inc | $44,145 | $44,145 | $0 |
| Republican Jewish Coalition | $36,088 | $31,088 | $5,000 |
| Ark Malibu LLC | $29,000 | $29,000 | $0 |
| Grote Enterprises | $27,000 | $27,000 | $0 |
Elections
2022 (Ohio Senate)General Election Map
2024National Ticket Result