‘Putting In The Work’: Republicans View JD Vance As Invaluable Asset As Campaign Enters Home Stretch

Republicans believe former President Donald Trump made the right choice in picking Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance to be his running mate as the campaign enters the fourth quarter of the election season.

Through the final weeks of August, Vance has spent his time on the campaign trail, sparring with hostile media and drawing contrast to Vice President Kamala Harris as she dodges the media. Prior though, Vance was fighting a barrage of Democratic attacks that branded him as “weird” for past statements.

Republicans and campaign officials expressed satisfaction with Vance’s performance in conversations with the Daily Caller.

“J.D. Vance is doing what Vice President picks are supposed to do, which is aggressively make the case in the Earned Media, which is the press, the entire political world is saying, not Where’s Waldo, but where’s Walz. He’s not out there making the case in the press the way VP candidates are expected to do,” GOP strategist Mark R. Weaver told the Daily Caller. 

After Trump chose Vance as his running mate, Democrats unearthed comments from a Fox News interview and a July 2021 speech about “childless cat ladies” and women who didn’t have children. Vance faced many questions about the comments, including in interviews with NBC and CNN.

Democrats used the comments alongside debunked rumors to brand Vance as “weird” — a line of attack CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten said was hurting the vice presidential candidate’s favorability.

Amidst the rocky start, Trump downplayed the importance of the vice president — a comment that pundits and social media users believed indicated je wasn’t thrilled with his pick.

“Of course he is. I wouldn’t have chosen him for my ticket if I wasn’t certain he could assume the presidency in the event of a crisis,” Trump began.

“Historically, the vice president, in terms of the election, does not have any impact,” he continued. “I mean, virtually no impact.”