2024 US election Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance

JD Vance, a 40-year-old Republican US Senator from Ohio, is running for vice president alongside former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, facing off against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the running mate of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, on November 5, 2024.

Born on August 2, 1984, in Middletown, Ohio, Vance grew up in a community that once thrived on manufacturing but faced economic decline.

His upbringing was tumultuous, and his grandmother, who was a "blue dog" Democrat affectionately called "Mamaw", played a significant role in his life. She passed away in 2005, shortly after Vance enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.

Vance served in the Iraq War and then graduated from The Ohio State University and Yale Law School.

He gained national recognition in 2016 with his memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy", which became a bestseller and was adapted into a Netflix film.

The book explores his upbringing in Middletown and the cultural and economic challenges faced by the white working class in the Rust Belt.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Vance was initially a vocal critic of Donald Trump, calling him "noxious" and "reprehensible", and even referring to him as "America's Hitler".

He made derogatory remarks, calling Trump "cultural heroin", and suggested that the former president "might be a cynical a**hole".

However, Vance later expressed how Donald Trump won him over during the former president's first term.

In 2022, Vance was elected to the US Senate and was sworn into office on January 3, 2023.

As a senator, he has focused on issues such as the economic repercussions of immigration, the opioid crisis, and the need for job growth and opportunities in the American heartland. He has been a strong advocate for policy changes that involve community and family support to address social problems.

Trump selected Vance as his running mate at the four-day Republican Convention, held from July 15 to July 18, 2023, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

This announcement came just two days after Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.

Vance married Usha Chilukuri Vance, an Indian-origin litigator, in 2014. They have three children -- two sons, Ewan and Vivek, and a daughter, Mirabel.

As a US Senator and now a vice presidential candidate, Vance faces new challenges and scrutiny.

Critics have unearthed past controversies, including his derogatory remarks about "childless cat ladies", which have raised questions about his suitability for the vice presidential position.

Vance was also the first vice presidential contender to attend Trump's criminal trial in New York and has defended the former president in contentious television debates.

Vance has downplayed the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, stating that he "doubted" former Vice President Mike Pence's life was in danger, despite the circumstances of that day.

He has echoed Trump’s criticisms of how the Justice Department prosecuted the Capitol attack rioters, alleging that the department disregarded due process protections.

As the election approaches, Vance is set to debate Kamala Harris's running mate, Tim Walz, on October 1 on CBS News, where both candidates will discuss key issues important to American voters.