An appeal to youth? Veep choice of Vance a key strategic move, delegates say

MILWAUKEE – Former President Donald Trump’s pick of Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate brings youth and a Midwestern touchpoint to the ticket, Illinois delegates said Monday.

Vance, 39, grew up in extreme poverty with a mother who suffered from drug addiction. He went on to attend Yale Law School, and the conservative senator’s memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” was a best-seller.

“He’ll bring in the young crowd, and that’s important,” said delegate Steve Balich, the Will County Board Republican Leader. “And he’s somebody that the people see as part of them.”

Delegate Rick Lawrence was an early supporter of Vance.

“It’s nice to see somebody that hasn’t been there forever,” said Lawrence, a former Aurora alderman. “There’s a whole generation looking for younger people.”

Delegates on the convention floor were going through a state-by-state roll call when they first got the news of the VP pick on their phones, after Trump announced it on Truth Social.

Vance “is someone who represents the MAGA agenda of Donald Trump so he’s great for continuity,” delegate Bill McCloy of Hinsdale said.

“I think he’d be a great leader of the party after Donald Trump has served out his last term.”

Likewise, “Trump wouldn’t have picked someone [like Vance] if he wasn’t ready to pass the torch to the next generation, so I think it’s great,” alternate delegate Larisa Calvanese of Downers Grove said.

“He’s definitely a conservative so we’re in good shape there,” said delegate Karen Tirio, chair of McHenry County GOPAC.

Including Vance means the ticket “surely carrying the great state of Ohio,” and having a ripple effect in Midwestern swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin, Palatine delegate Aaron Del Mar said.

· Daily Herald Staff Writer Christopher Placek contributed to this report.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20240715/news/an-appeal-to-youth-veep-choice-of-vance-a-key-strategic-move-delegates-say/