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On July 15, former President Donald Trump announced Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate ahead of November’s presidential election.
Following the RNC announcement, many Republicans expressed their public support of Vance, who initially rose to prominence with his 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” and subsequent election to the U.S. Senate in 2022.
One such Republican was John Wahl, chairman of the Alabama GOP.
“The word that comes to mind when I think about JD Vance is common sense,” Wahl told CBS News 19.
Wahl continued to praise the senator: “He comes from a business background. He’s run a company. He’s organized people. He served in the U.S. Senate. He’s been in those briefings on national security. He’s got the personality of a leader: he’s bold, he’s ready to move forward. So, I think JD Vance is ready to step forward if God forbid the situation is needed.”
However, recent polls have shown a historic dislike for Vance among voters across the country. Immediately following the Convention, Vance was polling at a negative 6-point favorability rating. For historical context, Sarah Palin and Dan Quayle, two of the most heavily criticized running mate selections in recent memory, both held double-digit positive approval scores coming out of their respective conventions (Palin in 2008 and Quayle in 1988).
Unfortunately for Vance’s outspoken supporters, Wahl included, the senator’s “bold” personality appears to be harming him in the polls.
Various critiques have been levied against Vance, including his lack of experience (Vance has only served two years in the Senate), his sudden switch from being a “‘never Trump’ guy” in 2016 to becoming the very same man’s running mate two terms later, and his particularly patriarchal brand of theocratic conservatism.
On that last point, Vance’s poor approval seems to be due in large part to comments he has made attacking Democratic leaders and their constituents as “childless cat ladies” and “childless sociopaths.” The senator has also stated that individuals with children should have their votes weighted more heavily than those without.
Despite what some Republican elites like Wahl may think of Vance, his rhetoric, or his issue positions, the JD Vance brand is clearly not gelling with the American people. In fact, Vance’s numbers have only declined further, with his favorability now sitting at a disheartening negative 15 points, according to the latest polling.
Now, some of Wahl’s fellow conservative operatives are souring on Vance. That includes right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro who asked: “If you had a time machine, if you could go back two weeks, would [Trump] have picked JD Vance again? I doubt it.”
Others, like Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, are sticking by Vance: “There is value that comes from experience, but generations are changing. The way people look at the world and the things they know are different than the people who have been here longer.”
Uncertainty surrounds how Vance’s weak polling will be handled by the Trump campaign going forward as they seek to reset their campaign strategy following Vice President Kamala Harris’s ascendency as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
It appears that Vance may not be the “common sense” pick that Wahl, Trump, and other GOP officials had previously anticipated. Wahl, the Alabama GOP, and Republicans at large must now consider how they can help the Trump campaign navigate this situation moving forward.
