Ohio Senator J.D. Vance first gained public attention about eight years ago with the release of his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.” Now, he is a potential candidate for the vice presidency of the United States.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed Vance for the vice presidency on Monday, highlighting his memoir, legal background, and venture capitalist experience. Trump praised Vance’s successful career in technology and finance and emphasized his commitment to American workers and farmers across several states.
Vance, a 39-year-old Iraq War veteran, was elected to the Senate in 2022 with support from Trump and financial backing from Peter Thiel, his former employer. Vance met Thiel during his first year at Yale Law School.
After a brief nine-month tenure at Sidley Austin LLP, Vance moved to San Francisco to pursue a career as a venture capitalist. He initially worked for Thiel’s Mithril Capital before joining AOL founder Stephen Case’s venture capital firm, Revolution, in Washington, D.C. At Revolution, he was involved in deals related to military technology and artificial intelligence.
In 2019, Vance founded Narya Capital, a venture capital fund supported by investors such as Thiel, Marc Andreeson, and Eric Schmidt. During his Senate campaign in 2022, Vance highlighted Narya’s role in job creation in Ohio, though the exact figures were contested.
Thiel’s $15 million donation significantly boosted Vance’s Senate campaign, marking the largest individual contribution to a Senate candidate.
Vance has been vocal about dismantling what he calls the “Big Tech Oligarchy,” advocating for strong antitrust regulations. He sees blockchain technology as a critical tool in this effort.
Like Trump, Vance supports domestic natural gas and oil production and opposes electric vehicles and solar power. Ohio ranks sixth in U.S. gas production and is a major coal consumer. Vance has received over $352,000 from oil and gas lobbies and has called climate change a hoax.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the duration of Vance’s employment at Sidley Austin LLP. It was nine months, not three years.