The speculation is finally over. Now that former President Donald Trump has formally named his running mate, the next question is clear: how will Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance fair in a match-up against Vice President Kamala Harris?
The pair are widely anticipated to face off against one another in a debate later this year, as all vice-presidential candidates have done for more than three decades. The pair have not yet agreed on a debate host or a date, but have accepted separate invitations from media outlets.
One of Vance’s top duties as Trump’s newly appointed VP pick will be to draw a stark distinction between himself and Harris in the weeks and months ahead.
This year, the spats between the two VP candidates could play an especially important roleas the age of the two presidential candidates— Trump is 78, and President Joe Biden is 81—is a major concern for voters. Vance, 39, is the first millennial vice presidential candidate and is 20 years younger than Harris, who is 59.
More:RNC 2024 live updates: Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio is Trump's pick for vice president
There is, of course, a chance Harris won’t be the Democratic vice-presidential nominee. In recent weeks, some Democrats have urgedBiden to drop out of the 2024 race to allow a younger candidate, like Harris, to lead the ticket. If Harris became the presidential nominee, she would need to pick a newrunning mate to go up against Vance.
However, at least for now, that possibility appears unlikely, as Biden hasfirmly rejected calls to leave the race. And some Democrats have warned that Vance could prove to be a difficult sparring partner for Harris.
Ashley Etienne,a former communications director for Vice President Harris, said during an interview on CNN in late June that Vance posed“the greatest threat” of any of Trump’s then-potential VP picks, partially because of his ability to articulate the MAGA message in a persuasive way.
“He has this quality that makes him seem palpable to the 1 to 2% that are undecided, that will actually pay attention to the debate,” Etienne, who worked for Harris until 2021,said in the interview. “It’s going to be a challenge to see the two of them face to face.”
Vance is among Trump’s staunchest defenders, and he has served as a key surrogate for delivering Trump’s message to mainstream media outlets.In 2016, the Ohio Republican described himself as a “Never Trump guy.” That former position may now serve him well as he seeks to combat Democratic messaging that Trump is a threat to democracy and convert moderate and swing voters who may be hesitant about supporting Trump.
During a recent interview on Fox News, Vance argued that he was “wrong,” about Trump in 2016. “He was a great president, and it’s one of the reasons why I’m working so hard to make sure he gets a second term,” he said.
On a Monday press call shortly after VP announcement, the Biden campaign argued that Vance's nomination would make it easier for them to contrast Biden and Trump's visions for America. They suggested that Vance would "make it his mission" to enact Project 2025, a sweeping conservative policy proposal for a second Trump administration created by The Heritage Foundation, and ban abortion nationwide.
"With Trump and Vance now entering the general election, they're facing off against the Biden-Harris ticket, and I will certainly take that match up any day of the week and twice on Sunday," said Biden campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillion. "It's more clear than ever that our rights, our freedoms and our democracy are on the line this November."
Democrats have sought to frame the 2024 election around the key issues of democracy and abortion rights, and Harris is likely to use similar talking points against her Republican rival. Vance, in the past, has said he would support some federal abortion limits.
In the best-selling 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vance wrote about his childhood consumed by poverty and has frequently discussed his mother’s struggle with addiction. His ability to speak to the issues facing blue-collarvoters in swing states dealing with post-industrial changes, such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, is likely to be an asset for the Trump campaign.
Harris’ main advantage over Vance is experience. According to the White House, she has led multiple initiatives for the Biden administration related to women’s health and immigration and has taken more than a dozen trips abroad in her role. Before becoming Vice President, Harris represented California in the Senate for three years and was the state’s first female attorney general.
Vance, meanwhile, has served in the Senate for less than two years and has no prior political experience.
Joel Goldstein, a vice-presidential scholar at Saint Louis University, told USA TODAY that Vance is “the least experienced person selected as a major party running mate in the last 80-some years.”
