Meet the Republican and Democratic Vice Presidential Candidates

06 September, 2024

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At the Republican National Convention in July 2024, former president Donald Trump was voted the party’s presidential nominee. He selected JD Vance as his vice-presidential running mate. In August 2024, at the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris was formally nominated as her party’s presidential nominee. She selected Tim Walz as her running mate.

Vance and Walz may be new to voters at the national level, but they both are elected officials: Vance is a U.S. senator from Ohio and Walz is governor of Minnesota.

Who is JD Vance?

JD Vance was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022. This is his first public office.

James Donald Bowman was born in Middletown, Ohio, but also has ties to extended family from eastern Kentucky. He was raised primarily by his grandparents. He changed his name to James David Vance, taking his mother’s maiden name.

In 2003, after high school, Vance enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Iraq during the Iraq War. In 2009, he graduated from Ohio State with a degree in political science and philosophy. He then attended Yale Law School and graduated with his legal degree in 2013.

Vance worked at multinational law firms and investment firms for a few years after law school. In 2016, he started a nonprofit organization in Ohio called Our Ohio Renewal. It aimed to help fight drug addiction in Ohio. The organization closed after a few years. Vance later started an investment firm, also in Ohio.

In 2016, Vance published a best-selling memoir titled Hillbilly Elegy. The book describes his upbringing, Appalachian roots, and views about the white working class.

During the 2016 presidential election, Vance was a strong and vocal critic of Trump. During Trump’s presidency though, Vance switched his views and became a loyal follower of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. He voted for Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

In 2021, Vance ran for the U.S. Senate in Ohio. After beginning his Senate campaign, Vance apologized for criticizing Trump and Trump later endorsed him. That endorsement helped Vance win the Republican primary and the election.

Vance opposes abortion rights. He supports Trump’s efforts to limit immigration and wants to finish constructing a border wall. Vance supports broad-based tariffs, particularly on goods from China, to protect U.S. industries from competition.

Vance is married to Usha Chilukuri Vance. She is also a Yale graduate and lawyer. They have 3 children.

Who is Tim Walz?

Tim Walz is the governor of Minnesota. He was elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska and grew up in rural towns in the state. When he turned 17, Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard. He was a member of the National Guard for 24 years and reenlisted after September 11, 2001. He served in Italy from 2003 to 2004 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

After graduating from high school, Walz attended college. He graduated from Chadron State College in Nebraska in 1989. He taught abroad in China for a year before returning to Nebraska to teach. In 1996 Walz moved to Mankato, Minnesota, where he taught high school social studies and geography and coached football. He helped lead the football team to the state championship in 1999. Walz earned his master’s degree in education from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

In 2005, Walz ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected as a Democrat from a conservative Minnesota district and served 6 terms, from 2007-2019 before his election as governor.

Walz is a gun owner and a hunter. While he once received endorsements from the National Rifle Association for his support of gun rights, his rating by the organization has gone from A to F. That could be in part because of his support for background checks for gun purchases. Walz supports veteran’s issues, renewable energy, and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. In the House of Representatives, he supported funding for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also voted against restricting federal funding for abortion.

Tim Walz is married to Gwen who he met while teaching in Nebraska. She was an English teacher and public school administrator. The Walzs have two children, Hope and Gus.