JD Vance Really Wanted You To Know That He, Too, Is Human

JD Vance, one of the most combative conservatives in the Senate and the GOP vice presidential candidate, appeared on Tuesday night to try to shed that reputation for a kinder, gentler image in the lone vice presidential debate of the 2024 election.

Viewers got to see Vance illustrate his down-to-earth-ness as the candidate unspooled mini-anecdotes about his “beautiful” three children, his “very, very brilliant” wife and his mother and grandmother.

Traditionally, candidates for the No. 2 slot on the general election ticket are expected to be attack dogs, defending their running mate vigorously and taking aim at the opposing ticket early and often.

But Vance has been uncommon among potential veeps in that his unfavorability ratings have been consistently high. In a recent Economist/YouGov poll , 51% of respondents said they had a somewhat or very unfavorable view of Vance, versus 34% who saw him favorably.

While some of that can be attributed to successful attempts by Democrats (including the man across from him onstage Tuesday, Gov. Tim Walz) to label him “weird,” some of his unpopularity may also stem from his own tone. Vance has become known for bon mots such as dissing “childless cat ladies” in an old interview and, more recently, whipping up anti-immigrant sentiment in his home state of Ohio through lies about Haitian immigrants eating household pets.

The Trump-Vance campaign, too, has leaned into a hard-right vision, in line with the policies laid out by the conservative policy blueprint called Project 2025. Trump has expressed support for mass deportations of immigrants, for letting states impose draconian abortion bans and for dismantling federal agencies.

On Tuesday night, though, Vance often went out of his