MILWAUKEE — National Republicans praised Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) as former President Donald Trump’s pick to be his running mate, celebrating his nomination as a step into a “new generation” of leadership for the party.
Trump tapped Vance as his choice in a Truth Social post on Monday as GOP delegates gathered at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, revving up energy among attendees inside the Fiserv Forum arena as they awaited the long-anticipated announcement.
Top Republicans applauded Vance’s work in Congress since being elected in 2020, lauding the junior senator as a strong conservative choice to join the former president on the GOP ticket.
“President Trump made a strong VP choice to win this November and govern to save America,” House GOP Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), once a top contender for the vice presidential nomination, said in a statement. “I have enjoyed getting to know J.D. on the campaign trail as surrogates for President Trump and I look forward to campaigning and working with him closely in the months and years ahead. I am humbled and honored to have been considered by President Trump throughout this process.”
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) called Vance a “fantastic choice” in a statement.
“Born of humble beginnings, he pulled himself up by his bootstraps, served in our military, and was elected to the United States Senate — a living embodiment of the American Dream,” said Hudson. “Along with President Trump and Senator Vance, I look forward to bringing relief to weary Americans besieged by Biden’s weak leadership by taking back the White House and growing the Republican House majority.”
Top Senate Republicans also praised Vance as Trump’s pick, with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines calling the Ohio senator a “great choice.”
Several RNC delegates at the convention celebrated Vance as the mark of a “new generation of leadership for the Republican Party,” with one Republican consultant noting that Vance as the “heir apparent” will strengthen the GOP presidential ticket in 2028.
“This is a passing of the torch. J.D. Vance has become the heir apparent to succeed Trump as leader of the populist, national-conservatism movement that has dominated the Republican Party for the last nine years,” Dennis Lennox, GOP consultant, told the Washington Examiner. “If Trump and Vance win in November, we can also call the 2028 race for the Republican nomination. It’s inconceivable that a Vice President Vance as President Trump’s heir apparent wouldn’t clear the field of any potential opponents. There would be no path for any other Republican to defeat him.”
Trump announced Vance as his vice presidential pick shortly after the RNC got underway on Monday, ending months of speculation about who the former president would tap as his potential No. 2 should he be reelected in November.
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Vance emerged as a top name earlier this year, remaining on the shortlist alongside North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) heading into the convention. Both Burgum and Rubio were reportedly informed they were not the running mate pick in the hours leading up to the convention announcement.
Vance is expected to be officially nominated as the vice presidential nominee at the RNC on Monday afternoon. Trump will accept his own nomination at the end of the week, solidifying the Trump-Vance ticket.