JD Vance makes a Midwest-heavy, generational pitch: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the a special edition From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.

Tonight, Henry J. Gomez and Matt Dixon report from the convention hall on how JD Vance introduced himself to a national audience with his vice presidential nomination acceptance speech. Plus, chief political analyst Chuck Todd examines whether the convention can help Republicans win back Wisconsin.

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Vance calls for a ‘big tent’ GOP in VP nominee acceptance speech

By Henry J. Gomez and Matt Dixon

MILWAUKEE — Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, a right-wing populist known for his unbending opinions, introduced himself Wednesday as a vice presidential candidate open to compromise and eager for unity but unapologetically drawn to hot-button debates.

“We have a big tent in this party, on everything from national security to economic policy,” Vance told Republican National Convention delegates as he accepted their nomination to be Donald Trump’s running mate. “But my message to you, my fellow Republicans, is: We love this country, and we are united to win. And our disagreements actually make us stronger.”

Vance, 39, made the case for himself in generational terms, at one point recalling that he was in the fourth grade when Joe Biden, then a senator, voted for a North American Free Trade Agreement that would disillusion many working-class voters. He made the case for Trump by casting him as a resilient figure in the face of criminal charges and, more recently, an assassination attempt that left him with a wounded right ear.

“They accused him of being a tyrant,”