What to know about Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate

CNN —

With Donald Trump’s choice to make JD Vance his running mate, he adds to the ticket an author and senator once known as a “Trump whisperer” for his understanding of the former president’s voter base.

The onetime “Never Trump” Republican, Vance, 39, shot to fame over his 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” and would eventually win over Trump ahead of his run for Senate. The former lawyer and venture capitalist has since become a loyal follower of Trump and heir-apparent to his particular brand of Republican populist politics.

Family and background

Vance was born in Middletown, Ohio, on August 2, 1984, and spent some of his childhood in Kentucky. He served in the Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007 before attending the Ohio State University and Yale Law School. Vance later worked as a venture capitalist before running for office.

US Senator from Ohio and 2024 Republican vice-president candidate J. D. Vance attends the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 15, 2024. Days after he survived an assassination attempt, Republicans are set to nominate Donald Trump as the party's official presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention taking place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from July 15 to 18. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Related live-story Trump and VP pick JD Vance formally nominated at RNC

Vance’s wife, Usha, is a litigator and fellow Yale Law School alum who previously clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Judge Brett Kavanaugh, then of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. They have three children: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel.

‘Hillbilly Elegy’