Illinois Republican delegates admire VP pick JD Vance's journey from never-Trumper to Trump ally
MILWAUKEE (CBS) -- Former President Donald Trump on Monday chose U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio to be his vice presidential running mate.
Trump announced his VP pick on social media just before he was to accept the presidential nomination at the in Milwaukee on Monday.
Among Republican delegates from Illinois, the news went over well—but what they liked about him varied.
Some say Vance's age—just 39 years old—brings a youthfulness to the ticket. They also say his book "Hillbilly Elegy," released eight years ago, tells the story of a hurting America that continues to hurt.
"Hillbilly Elegy" told the story of an American life of struggle and poverty and making it out. In that story, Vance was quite critical of the Republican Party for pandering to people like those in southeastern Ohio where he grew up, and elsewhere in Rust Belt America.
"Vance is absolutely brilliant," said Richard Porter, a committeeman in Illinois. "He has a really remarkable kind of worldview generally. But he also, I think he wrote a fabulous book in which he explains this phenomena of populism in America."
On the floor of the Fiserv Forum just after the news came down, what jumped out was also how Illinois delegates emphasized Vance's history as a onetime sharp critic of Trump.
They noted Vance previously said, effectively, "I am a never Trump guy," or "I never liked him," or "You're an idiot if you voted for him."
After he gained fame, Vance sharpened his criticism of President Trump in 2016—saying, "You're an idiot if you voted for him," and he's a "terrible candidate". But by 2020, Vance made an about face and supported him.
Earlier this year, Fox News' Bett Baier confronted Vance with some of his previous statements, which also iincluded comments that Trump could be "America's Hitler" and "cultural heroin." Vance told Baier he was "wrong" about Trump.
Vance made an about-face in 2020, and is now one of Trump's most vocal allies. Trump fans said the former president's choice of Vance shows the man atop their ticket, Trump, knows how to see the bigger picture.
"I think that's everybody's knee-jerk reaction on everybody who's been a candidate to be nominated as vice president is, 'Oh, he once said this,'" said Mark Hosty, a delegate from River Forest. "You know, I'm not worried about it at all."
Some delegates said Trump and Vance hold the same values.
"When you look at what JD Vance stands for, he stands for the principles that Donald J. Trump stands for," said Susan Sweeney, a delegate from Park Ridge.
Delegate Richard Lawrence of Aurora said new blood is needed in the GOP.
"He's a young guy—he's going to bring a lot to the ticket," Lawrence said.
Delegate Terri Bryant of Murphysboro in Southern Illinois expressed similar sentiments.
"I'm pretty excited about it," she said. "I think he's going to bring a lot of young energy to the party."
Delegate Darren Bailey, a former state representative and senator and gubernatorial candidate, said he trusts former President Trump's judgment.
"I'm game for anything, so I think it's awesome. So I'm behind President Trump knows what he's doing, so we're good."
Earlier Monday, the Illinois GOP delegation gathered for a pep rally breakfast. One of the delegates, Aaron Del Mar, said he thought the assassination attempt on former President Trump over the weekend played a role in Trump's VP selection.
"I think [the assassination attempt] probably changed him. I think it gave him a real look at life. You know, I think it probably gave him a second look at who he's evaluated for his vice president to form out the ticket—because now, you more than ever have a real reason to make sure whoever you pick as your VP could govern the United States on day one—should something happen to him," Del Mar said. "Unfortunately, I truly believe this is not going to be the first attempt on President Trump's life. I'm willing to bet that we're going to see more of this throughout the campaign, and potentially if he gets elected."
While the former President Trump and President Biden's campaigns had both taken a stand-down approach since the attempted assassination on Saturday, the Biden team was harshly critical of the Vance choice after the news came out Monday.
"Here's the deal about JD Vance. He talks a big game about working people. But now, he and Trump want to raise taxes on middle-class families while pushing more tax cuts for the rich," Biden's campaign wrote on social media. "Well, I don't intend to let them. And if you're with me, pitch in."
Vance's home state of Ohio was once very much a swing state, but has been consistently red in recent years. Delegates hope the addition of the junior senator from Ohio to the ticket produces a landslide for the Trump-Vance campaign in November.