The speculation is finally over. Now that former President Donald Trump has officially named his running mate, the question is clear: How will Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio fare in a race against Vice President Kamala Harris?
The two are widely expected to face off in a debate later this year, as vice presidential candidates have done for more than three decades. They have not yet agreed on a moderator or date for the debate, but have each accepted media invitations.
One of Vance’s biggest tasks as Trump’s new running mate will be to draw a clear distinction between himself and Harris in the coming weeks and months.
The spat between the two vice presidential candidates could play an especially important role this year, as the ages of the two presidential candidates — Trump is 78 and Joe Biden is 81 — are a major concern for voters. Vance, 39, is the first millennial vice presidential candidate and is 20 years younger than Harris, 59.
more:Republican National Convention 2024 Update: Ohio Senator J.D. Vance to Be President Trump’s Vice Presidential Nominee
Of course, it’s possible that Harris won’t be the Democratic vice presidential nominee. In recent weeks, some Democrats have called on Biden to drop out of the 2024 race to allow a younger candidate like Harris to take the lead. If Harris becomes the presidential nominee, she would need to choose a new running mate to rival Vance.
But that seems unlikely, at least for now, as Biden has steadfastly rejected calls to drop out of the race, and some Democrats have warned that Vance could be a formidable opponent for Harris.
Ashley Etienne, Harris’ former communications director, said in a CNN interview in late June that Vance was the “biggest threat” of Trump’s running mate picks at the time, due in part to his ability to articulate the MAGA message in a compelling way.
“Harris has the qualities to be relevant for the 1 or 2 percent of undecided people who will actually be tuning in to the debate,” Etienne, who worked for Harris until 2021, said in an interview. “It’s going to be a big challenge for them to meet in person.”
Vance has been one of Trump’s most staunch defenders and has served as a key surrogate for the president’s message in the mainstream media. In 2016, the Ohio Republican called himself a “Never Trumper.” That previous position may now work to his advantage as he seeks to counter Democratic messaging that Trump is a threat to democracy and to convert moderates and swing voters who may be hesitant to support Trump.
In a recent interview with Fox News, Vance argued that Trump was “wrong” about him in 2016. “He was a great president, and that’s one of the reasons I’m working so hard to make sure he wins a second term,” he said.
At a press conference on Monday shortly after the vice presidential nomination was announced, Biden’s campaign argued that Vance’s nomination would make it easier to compare Biden’s and Trump’s visions for America. They suggested that Vance would be “on a mission” to implement Project 2025, a comprehensive conservative policy proposal for a second Trump administration launched by the Heritage Foundation, and ban abortion nationwide.
“As Trump and Vance enter the general election facing off against Biden and Harris, I certainly would take on that challenge any day, and on Sunday I would take it twice,” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillion said. “It’s clearer than ever that our rights, freedoms and democracy are at stake in November.”
Harris is likely to bring similar arguments to her Republican rival as Democrats seek to center the 2024 election on the key issues of democracy and abortion rights, and Vance has previously said he supports federal restrictions on abortion.
In his best-selling 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vance wrote about his poverty-stricken childhood and has spoken frequently about his mother’s struggles with drug addiction. His ability to speak to issues facing blue-collar voters in battleground states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as they grapple with post-industrial change will be an asset to the Trump campaign.
One advantage Harris has over Vance is experience. She led several women’s health and immigration initiatives in the Biden administration and has traveled overseas more than 10 times as part of her official duties, according to the White House. Prior to becoming vice president, Harris represented California in the Senate for three years and served as the state’s first female attorney general.
Vance, on the other hand, has served as a senator for less than two years and has no political experience.
Joel Goldstein, a vice presidential scholar at Saint Louis University, told USA Today that Vance is “the most inexperienced person to be chosen as a major party vice presidential nominee in the last 80 or so years.”
