Veteran Vance: Group for post-9/11 veterans applauds Trump's pick for running mate

(TND) — Sen. JD Vance of Ohio became the first post-9/11 veteran on a major party presidential ticket when he was announced as former President Donald Trump’s running mate.

Vance, who served in the Marines from 2003 to 2007 and was deployed to Iraq, is also the first veteran on a White House ticket since the late Sen. John McCain in 2008.

If Trump wins this fall, Vance will become the first veteran to serve as president or vice president since George W. Bush, who was a lieutenant in the Texas Air National Guard.

Allison Jaslow, the CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, applauded Trump’s decision to go with Vance as his running mate.

“While there are a lot of challenges to work on as it relates to our community, this is also an exciting time, because the post-9/11 generation is ascendant in America,” she said Tuesday. “And now we're seeing that come to fruition.”

Even more important, in her eyes, might be that Vance served in the enlisted ranks.

That’s more emblematic of the typical veteran, she said.

“To the extent that the average vet can look up there and see somebody reflected in a possible representation ... it's a huge milestone to have one of our own ascend to that level,” Jaslow said.

All veterans don’t see eye to eye on national security issues, she said. But it’s valuable having a veteran in that position, someone who understands how decisions in Washington impact real troops on the ground.

What else Vance brings to the table

Vance is young, just 39. And he’s only been in politics since 2021, winning election to the Senate in 2022.

After his military service, Vance graduated college, earned a law degree from Yale, wrote the best-selling book “Hillbilly Elegy,” and worked as a venture capitalist.

He’s now the youngest vice presidential nominee since 1952, according to Ballotpedia.

“What an honor it is to run alongside President Donald J. Trump,” Vance said on social media. “He delivered peace and prosperity once, and with your help, he'll do it again.”

University of Oklahoma politics professor Michael Crespin said the selection of Vance could be seen as a “passing of the torch.”

“I don't know,” Crespin said. “Part of me thinks Trump is such a unique candidate that I don't know really the torch can be passed. Now, I do see, though, I think some of these populist messages – made in America, maybe less free trade, helping the middle class – that’s generally like a winning campaign. So, I could see that sticking with the Republican Party after Trump.”

Back in 2008, then-candidate Barack Obama had limited experience and picked the more experienced Joe Biden as his running mate to bolster his ticket.

Trump, having already served four years as president, didn’t need experience in his running mate, Crespin said.

For Trump, Vance is seen as a “good, solid Midwesterner on the ticket,” Crespin said.

“Does it raise Trump’s stature? I don't know. Maybe it helps a little bit with trying to get Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, those states where Biden has traditionally done well,” he said.

Todd Belt, the Political Management program director at George Washington University, previously said there should be seven swing states in 2024: North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan and Wisconsin.

The Cook Political Report lists just three true toss-ups: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Two of those border Vance’s home state. The other is a fellow Midwestern state.

Trump mentioned Vance’s Midwestern roots in his announcement.

"J.D. has had a very successful business career in Technology and Finance, and now, during the Campaign, will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for, the American Workers and Farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond...," Trump said on social media.

Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, was a traditional conservative, Crespin said.

Vance is more of a populist in the same vein as Trump, he said.

And Crespin noted Vance’s strong support of Trump in recent years.

“(Vance) has said the right things, and I think that's probably important to Trump, you know, loyalty from people around him,” Crespin said.