Ohio Senator J.D. Vance went from an obscure figure to a prominent political name about eight years ago with the release of his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.” Now, he is considered a potential candidate for the vice presidency of the United States.
Former President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed Vance as the best-suited individual for the vice-presidential role, lauding his memoir, legal expertise, and venture capitalist experience with notable figures like Peter Thiel.
“J.D. has had a successful business career in technology and finance. During the campaign, he will focus on the American workers and farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and beyond,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, a platform owned by his Trump Media Technology Group.
Vance, a 39-year-old Iraq War veteran, was elected to the Senate in 2022 with Trump’s endorsement and financial support from his former employer and ally, Peter Thiel. Vance initially met Thiel during his first year at Yale Law School.
After a brief tenure at Sidley Austin LLP, Vance moved to San Francisco, where he started forming connections with Silicon Valley’s elite as a venture capitalist. He had a short stint with Thiel’s Mithril Capital before joining AOL founder Stephen Case’s venture capital firm, Revolution, in Washington, D.C.
At Revolution, he closed deals related to military technology and artificial intelligence, making significant connections, including with AI startup founders and Chase Koch of Koch Industries. In 2019, he launched Narya Capital, another venture capital fund, attracting investors like Thiel, Marc Andreessen, and Eric Schmidt.
Vance leveraged his work at Narya during his 2022 Senate campaign, promoting the firm’s creation of nearly 1,000 jobs in Ohio. However, Politico reported that Narya was one of 46 firms contributing to the creation of 750 jobs.
Thiel’s financial backing played a crucial role in Vance’s Senate campaign, with Thiel donating $15 million, the largest sum ever given to a single Senate candidate.
Vance’s priorities include challenging the dominance of “Big Tech Oligarchy,” specifically social media giants like Facebook and Google. At a Y Combinator event, he advocated for strong antitrust regulations and highlighted blockchain technology as essential for competing with social media companies.
Additionally, Vance supports domestic natural gas and oil production and opposes electric vehicles and solar power. Ohio ranks sixth in gas production and is a major coal consumer. Vance, who has dismissed climate change and criticized electric vehicles as a “scam,” has received over $352,000 from oil and gas lobbyists.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the duration of J.D. Vance’s tenure at Sidley Austin LLP. It was nine months, not three years.