The JD Vance dossier, allegedly compiled by the Trump campaign, is a 271-page document that details Vance's vulnerabilities as part of his vetting for the role of vice-presidential candidate. This dossier was leaked by hackers, allegedly from Iran, and first reported by journalist Ken Klippenstein on his Substack. The dossier focuses heavily on Vance’s past criticisms of Donald Trump, including his 2016 statements where he opposed Trump's candidacy, as well as concerns over his stance on foreign policy, particularly his opposition to U.S. assistance to Ukraine.
The leak stirred controversy not only because of its contents but also due to its publication. Media outlets such as Politico and The Washington Post initially refrained from publishing the full document, instead focusing on the hacking incident itself. Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) suspended Klippenstein’s account after he shared the dossier, citing violations of rules regarding unredacted private information. This move sparked debate about free speech, particularly given Elon Musk’s ownership of the platform and his vocal support for free expression.
While the document itself highlights Vance’s past inconsistencies on Trump and conservatism, it has been noted that there wasn't much "juicy" or particularly damaging information in it, which may explain why mainstream outlets were hesitant to publish it
About Eric Asberry
Computer geek, software developer, writer, bicycle rider and occasional runner, if something scary is chasing me.
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RESEARCH DOSSIER
J.D. VANCE
Last Updated: February 23, 2024
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................ 2
EXECUTIVE SYNOPSIS ............................................................................................................ 18
DOSSIER NOTES .................................................................................................................... 18
POTENTIAL VULNERABILITIES ........................................................................................ 18
Potential Opposition Narrative - Anti-Trump Record And Establishment Ties ................... 18
Potential Opposition Narrative - Questionable Conservatism .............................................. 18
TOP HITS ................................................................................................................................. 20
Political ................................................................................................................................. 20
Anti-Trump Record And Establishment Ties ....................................................................... 20
Questionable Conservatism .................................................................................................. 23
Notable Vulnerabilities With Moderates .............................................................................. 27
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ............................................................................................. 29
PERSONAL INFORMATION: J.D. VANCE.......................................................................... 29
ELECTION RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 31
2022 General Election, U.S. Senate, Ohio ............................................................................ 31
CAMPAIGN FINANCE ........................................................................................................... 31
JD Vance For Senate (2028) ................................................................................................. 32
JD Vance For Senate (2022) ................................................................................................. 34
Individual Contributions ....................................................................................................... 46
VOTING RECORDS ................................................................................................................ 47
Hamilton County, OH ........................................................................................................... 47
Franklin County, OH ............................................................................................................ 49
Butler County, OH ................................................................................................................ 50
EDUCATION RECORDS ........................................................................................................ 51
Ohio State University ............................................................................................................ 51
PUBLIC COMPENSATION RECORDS ................................................................................ 52
U.S. Senate (2013-Pres.) ....................................................................................................... 52
MILITARY RECORDS............................................................................................................ 53
U.S. Marine Corps (2003-2007) ........................................................................................... 53
LOBBYING RECORDS .......................................................................................................... 53
Sidley Austin ......................................................................................................................... 54
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CRIMINAL RECORDS ........................................................................................................... 56
Traffic Citations .................................................................................................................... 56
POLICE RECORDS ................................................................................................................. 57
REAL PROPERTY RECORDS ............................................................................................... 57
1858 William Howard Taft Road, Cincinnati, OH, Hamilton County ................................. 57
1305 C Street NE, Washington, D.C. ................................................................................... 58
BANKRUPTCIES, JUDGMENTS, & LIENS RECORDS ...................................................... 60
Small Claims ......................................................................................................................... 60
LEGAL ISSUES ....................................................................................................................... 61
BUSINESS RECORDS ............................................................................................................ 61
JD Vance Enterprises LLC ................................................................................................... 62
JDE Enterprise Investments LLC ......................................................................................... 62
Narya Capital Management, LLC ......................................................................................... 63
Narya Capital Fund I, L.P. .................................................................................................... 63
Narya Capital GP I, LLC ...................................................................................................... 64
NON-PROFIT RECORDS ....................................................................................................... 64
Our Ohio Renewal Foundation ............................................................................................. 64
PROFESSIONAL & RECREATIONAL LICENSES .............................................................. 65
Attorney License ................................................................................................................... 65
PERSONAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE .............................................................................. 66
2022 Personal Financial Disclosure, U.S. Senate ................................................................. 66
VANCE’S ANTI-TRUMP RECORD AND ESTABLISHMENT TIES ..................................... 71
VANCE WAS OPPOSED TO TRUMP’S CANDIDACY DURING THE 2016 ELECTION 71
As Early As August 2016, Vance Had Announced His Intention To Vote Third Party As
Opposed To Voting For Trump ............................................................................................ 71
Vance Was Accused Of “Effectively” Voting For Hillary Clinton ...................................... 73
During The Campaign And After The Election, Vance Doubted Trump’s Ability To Be
Effective In Office ................................................................................................................ 73
Vance Criticized Trump’s Statements And Policy Proposals............................................... 74
Vance Said Trump’s Election Would Be “Terrible For The Country” ................................ 75
Vance Compared Trump To Heroin And Mocked MAGA As A “Quick High” ................. 75
Vance Called Trump “Dangerous” On Numerous Occasions .............................................. 75
Vance Said Voters Were Not Attached To Trump And He Would Get “Crushed” ............. 76
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Vance Wrote That He “Loathed” Trump’s “Obvious Personal Character Flaws” ............... 76
Vance Said He Fought Against Trump ................................................................................. 76
Vance Said Trump Was A Bad 2016 Candidate ................................................................... 77
Vance Said, “We Have To Reject The Rhetoric Of Trump” ................................................ 77
After The 2016 Election, Vance Said He Did Not Think Trump Fully Appreciated The
“Complexity Of What’s Going On” ..................................................................................... 77
Vance Criticized Trump For Creating Finger Pointing Among The White Working Class 78
DURING THE 2016 CAMPAIGN, VANCE WAS DESCRIBED AS A ‘NEVER TRUMPER’
................................................................................................................................................... 78
In An October 2016 Appearance On “The Charlie Rose Show,” Vance Declared He Was “A
Never Trump Guy” And “Never Liked Him” ....................................................................... 78
Vance Claimed There Was A “Willingness From People Who Think A Lot Like I Do” To
Say Trump Was “Going To Be A Terrible Candidate” And “That You Were An Idiot If You
Voted For Him” .................................................................................................................... 78
Vance Said Trump Was Not The Best Candidate For White-Working Class Voters .......... 79
DURING THE 2016 CAMPAIGN, VANCE INDICATED HE BELIEVED THE WOMEN
WHO ACCUSED TRUMP OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ............................................................. 79
In 2016, Vance Indicated He Believed One Of Trump’s Sexual-Assault Accusers Over
Trump And Mocked Trump For Not Telling The Truth....................................................... 79
In 2016, It Was Reported That Vance Tweeted “What Percentage Of The American
Population Has @Realdonaldtrump Sexually Assaulted?” .................................................. 80
DURING THE 2016 CAMPAIGN, VANCE LINKED RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA TO
TRUMP’S BASE OF SUPPORT ............................................................................................. 80
In 2016, Vance Said People Who “Might Be Described As If Not As Racist At Least As
Expressing Some Sort Of Racial Resentment” Were Supporting Trump ............................. 80
In 2016, Vance Said, “There Are People Who Are Drawn To Trump Because He Says
Racially Insensitive Things” ................................................................................................. 81
In 2018, Vance Was Still An Opponent Of Trump, Citing His Race-Related Policies ........ 84
VANCE HAS SUGGESTED THERE WAS NO SIGN OF VOTER FRAUD IN THE 2016
ELECTION ............................................................................................................................... 84
Vance Said Voter Fraud Did Not Impact The 2016 Election And Said There Was No
Evidence Of It ....................................................................................................................... 84
VANCE ONCE IMPLIED THAT TRUMP IS PRONE TO LYING ....................................... 85
In 2017, Vance Criticized Trump For Saying “Half-Truths Or Lies” So Frequently “That
You Stop Actually Taking The President Literally .............................................................. 85
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VANCE APPEARED TO BE CRITICAL OF TRUMP’S COMMENTS SURROUNDING
THE EVENTS IN CHARLOTTESVILLE ............................................................................... 85
Following The Charlottesville Protests, Vance Said Trump “Really Missed An Opportunity
To Name This Phenomenon And Gives People A Sense Where It Comes From And Show
The Moral Leadership People Want From A President” ...................................................... 85
Vance Said Trump Was “Ambivalent Or Too Cautious About Coming Out And Criticizing”
Racism And Nazism ............................................................................................................. 86
Vance Said Trump Failing To Unite The Country Following Charlottesville Was A “Missed
Opportunity” ......................................................................................................................... 86
EARLY IN THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY, VANCE INDICATED TRUMP WAS FAILING
ON HIS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES .................................................................................... 86
In 2017, Vance Said, “I Think You Hear From A Lot Of Different People If You’re On The
Ground In These Areas Talking To People Is A Broad Recognition That Things Aren’t
Going Fantastically Well Right Now” Regarding Trump’s Legislative Priorities ............... 86
Vance: “A Bigger Problem, I Think, Is The Feeling That The Big Pushes That The
President Has Really Made On Health Care, On Some Of These Other Issues, Haven’t
Really Materialized” ............................................................................................................. 87
Vance Noted There Was A “Sense That The President Just Isn’t Able To Deliver” ........... 87
VANCE, AT TIMES, APPEARED DISMISSIVE OF EFFORTS TO HIGHLIGHT FRAUD
IN THE 2020 ELECTION ........................................................................................................ 87
After The 2020 Election, Vance Said People Questioning The 2020 Election Results Would
Not Become Violent And Also Said Biden Would Be Inaugurated ..................................... 87
VANCE SERVED WITH THE AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE – AN
ORGANIZATION WITH TIES TO TRUMP CRITICISM ..................................................... 88
In 2019, Vance Was Announced By Yuval Levin As A Part-Time Visiting Scholar At The
American Enterprise Institute ............................................................................................... 88
In 2021, Levin Criticized Trump For Promoting “Fraud Conspiracies” That Trump Actually
Won The Election ................................................................................................................. 88
Following The 2021 Attack On The Capitol, Levin Criticized Trump In The Dispatch And
Wrote That “Trump Almost Fully Inhabits A Boorish, Narcissistic Psychodrama Playing In
His Head” .............................................................................................................................. 89
VANCE IS AN ALUM OF THE WEBSITE FORMERLY RUN BY DAVID FRUM - A
KNOWN NEVER TRUMPER ................................................................................................. 89
Vance Is A Former Writer For FrumForum, An Online Forum Founded By David Frum .. 89
In The Acknowledgments Of Hillbilly Elegy, Vance Thanked Frum .................................. 91
Frum, A Former Speechwriter For George W. Bush, Is “One Of The Best Known Never
Trumpers” Who “Made His Break With The GOP Long Before Trump” ........................... 91
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VANCE HAS TIES TO VARIOUS ADDITIONAL TRUMP-ANTAGONISTS ................... 91
Vance Has Said He Is “Good Friends” With Mike DeWine ................................................ 91
Vance Has Previous Ties To Notorious Trump Critic John Kasich ..................................... 92
Vance Previously Supported Notorious Trump Critic John McCain ................................... 92
VANCE HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED AS A MODERATE WITH DEMOCRAT
TENDENCIES .......................................................................................................................... 92
In 2016, Vance Said, “I’m Frankly Not A Libertarian In The Sense That I Think
Government Has No Role In Fixing” Societal Problems ..................................................... 92
In 2017, The American Prospect’s Robert Kuttner Said That At A Recent Conference He
Attended With Vance, Vance “Sounded Almost Like A Democrat” ................................... 93
In 2017, Vance Was Described As A “Moderate Republican” ............................................ 93
VANCE PREVIOUSLY HEAPED PRAISE UPON HILLARY CLINTON .......................... 93
Vance Praised The 2016 Democratic National Convention While Criticizing The
Republican Convention ......................................................................................................... 93
Vance Said There Was A Chance He Would Vote For Clinton If Trump Had A Chance To
Win ........................................................................................................................................ 93
In An Op-Ed, Vance Recalled A Time In His Life When He “Admired President Clinton”94
VANCE HAS PREVIOUSLY HEAPED PRAISE UPON BARACK OBAMA ..................... 94
Vance Has Praised Obama For Offering “Hope” And Said He Would “Miss Him” As
Obama Was Leaving Office.................................................................................................. 94
Vance Characterized Obama’s “Guns And Religion” Comment As “Well-Intentioned” .... 96
Vance Claimed Some White Working-Class Voters Supported Trump Because Of A
Racially Motived Backlash To Obama ................................................................................. 96
VANCE HAS PRAISED DEMOCRATIC-SOCIALIST BERNIE SANDERS ...................... 97
Vance Said Bernie Sanders Was His Favorite Democrat Running In The 2020 Democrat
Primary .................................................................................................................................. 97
Vance Predicted That Trump Was Part Of A Political Realignment That Would Position
Trump And Bernie Sanders On The Same Side In 20 Years ................................................ 97
VANCE APPEARS TO HAVE ONCE INDICATED THAT JOE BIDEN COULD HAVE
BEAT TRUMP IN 2016 ........................................................................................................... 98
In 2016, Vance Said Biden “Could Have Done A Lot Better” Than Hillary Clinton .......... 98
FOLLOWING THE END OF TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY, VANCE PRAISED TRUMP’S
POLICY AND WAS AN ACTIVE SUPPORTER OF HIS 2020 RE-ELECTION ................. 98
Vance In 2021: I “Ultimately Pulled The Trigger And Encouraged A Lot Of My Friends To
… Pull The Lever For Donald Trump In 2020” ................................................................... 98
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Vance: “I Was Really Happy With The Policy. And So, That’s What Caused Me To
Become A Trump Supporter” ............................................................................................... 98
Vance Has Attacked Trump’s Ban From Social Media Outlets ........................................... 99
Vance Blasted Calls From Democrats To Hold Former Trump Administration Officials
Accountable After He Left Office ........................................................................................ 99
Vance Blasted The Idea In An Appearance On Fox News, And Accused Democrats Of
Wanting “Revenge” Rather Than Truth And Reconciliation ............................................... 99
Vance Worried That Reich’s Proposal Would Make It More Difficult To Staff Future
Republican Administrations................................................................................................ 100
VANCE’S QUESTIONABLE CONSERVATISM .................................................................... 101
VANCE ONCE ADMITTED THAT WORKING CLASS AMERICANS BENEFIT FROM
DEMOCRAT-POLICIES ....................................................................................................... 101
In 2016, Vance Said White Working-Class Voters Could “Benefit” From Some Democrat
Economic Policies Versus Those From Republicans ......................................................... 101
VANCE ONCE CRITICIZED TRUMP’S “CORE DOMESTIC POLICY PRIORITIES” ... 101
In 2017, Vance Reflected On Trump’s “Core Domestic Policy Priorities,” Claiming It Was
“Not Looking Especially Good Right Now” ...................................................................... 101
Vance: “I Just Don't See The Evidence That We're Being Serious About The Policies That
Are Necessary To Move The Country Forward Yet” ......................................................... 101
VANCE WAS CRITICAL OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S 2017 TAX CUTS BILL
................................................................................................................................................. 102
In 2018, Vance Criticized Republicans For Living In The 1980s With The Party’s Tax And
Health Care Reform Policies .............................................................................................. 102
Vance Criticized Republicans For Cutting Taxes For The Wealthy And Cutting The Social
Safety Net............................................................................................................................ 102
In 2019, Vance Criticized The 2017 Tax Reform Law As “Ok, It Wasn’t Terrible, But It
Wasn’t Great” ..................................................................................................................... 102
It Should Be Noted That Vance Was Also Critical Of The Bush-Era Tax Cuts ................ 102
Additionally, Vance Has Noted His Opposition To Supply-Side Tax Cuts ....................... 103
VANCE HAS EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR INCREASING THE CAPITAL GAINS TAX
RATE ...................................................................................................................................... 103
Vance Supports Raising The Capital Gains Tax Rate ........................................................ 103
VANCE HAS CALLED TO RAISE TAXES ON U.S. BUSINESSES IN CERTAIN
CIRCUMSTANCES ............................................................................................................... 104
Vance Called For Taxing Firms That Produce Goods Overseas ........................................ 104
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VANCE APPEARS TO SUPPORT HIGHER TAXES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT
CHILDREN ............................................................................................................................ 104
In 2021, Vance Said He Supports Higher Taxes For People Who Do Not Have Children 104
VANCE HAS SOMEWHAT FLIP-FLOPPED ON CUTS TO THE FEDERAL BUDGET 104
In 2017, Vance Warned That GOP Budget Cuts Were Evidence That Trump And
Republicans In Congress Were Not Focused On “Core Constituencies” ........................... 104
In 2017, Vance Noted He Supports Using Government Spending To Solve Social Problems
............................................................................................................................................. 105
However, Vance Supported The 2011 Ryan Budget .......................................................... 105
VANCE HAS PREVIOUSLY SIGNALED SUPPORT FOR DISTORTING THE FREE-
MARKET WITH FEDERAL SUBSIDIES ............................................................................ 106
Vance Called Grover Norquist A “Fiscal Phony” For Opposing Ending Ethanol Subsidies
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VANCE HAS QUESTIONED CONSERVATIVES FOR PRIORITIZING AMERICA’S
BUSINESSES ......................................................................................................................... 107
Vance Previously Criticized Conservatives For Prizing Corporate Interests ..................... 107
Vance Criticized The Practice Of Offering Economic Incentives To Companies To Relocate
............................................................................................................................................. 108
VANCE HAS INDICATED HE SUPPORTED UNION PRIORITIES OVER THAT OF
AMERICAN BUSINESS ....................................................................................................... 109
Vance Previously Indicated He Opposes Right-To-Work Laws ........................................ 109
Vance Has Criticized GOP Donors For Pushing Antagonism Toward Unions.................. 109
Vance Signed Onto A Report Calling For Reforms To Greatly Strengthen Labor Unions 109
Vance And Other Signers Of The Report Called For Conservatives To Consider Allowing
Sectoral Bargaining, Works Councils, And Requiring Seats For Labor Representatives On
Corporate Boards ................................................................................................................ 110
Under Sectoral Bargaining, Collective Bargaining Contracts And Wage Rules Are
Negotiated That Apply To All Workers In A Particular Occupation, Industry Or Region,
Rather Than At A Single Employer .................................................................................... 110
Works Councils – Common In European Factories – Allow Workers To Elect
Representatives To Work With Management To Establish Employment Policies Like Work
Hours And Disciplinary Rules ............................................................................................ 110
VANCE HAS BEEN CRITICAL OF FREE-MARKET ECONOMIC PRIORITY .............. 111
Vance Opposes Milton Friedman-Backed Economic Policies ........................................... 111
Vance Has Called For Prioritizing The American “Nuclear Family” Over Free Market
Principles............................................................................................................................. 112
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VANCE WORKED AS A CONTRIBUTOR FOR AN ORGANIZATION THAT
EXPRESSED SKEPTICISM OF TRUMP’S AMERICA FIRST TRADE AGENDA .......... 114
Vance Is A Contributing Writer For A Conservative Think Tank That Is Skeptical Of Free
Market Policies ................................................................................................................... 114
EARLY DURING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, VANCE QUESTIONED WHETHER
TRUMP SHOULD BE CREDITED FOR THE BOOMING ECONOMY ............................ 116
Vance Criticized The Relevance Of The Trump Policies To The Economic Boom And Its
Distribution To All Parts Of The Country .......................................................................... 116
OPPONENTS COULD SUGGEST VANCE IS HYPOCRITICAL FOR HIS CRITICISM OF
‘BIG TECH’............................................................................................................................ 117
Vance Has Criticized “Big Tech” But Receives His Salary From Tech Executives .......... 117
Vance Said Conservatives Should Break With Corporations Over Censorship Of Donald
Trump And His Supporters ................................................................................................. 117
VANCE OPPOSED THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORTS TO REPEAL AND
REPLACE OBAMACARE .................................................................................................... 118
In 2017, Vance Criticized Republican Efforts To Repeal And Replace Obamacare Under
President Trump, Claiming He Doesn’t “Love The Plan At All” ...................................... 118
Vance Warned That The People Who Would “Lose Out Most” In The GOP-Led
ObamaCare Replacement Bill Are The Ones Who Voted For Donald Trump .................. 118
Vance: “Those Folks, They Very Well See Their Deductibles Go Up, Their Premiums Go
Up. … There's Obviously A Significant Issue Of Folks Potentially Losing Access To Their
Health Care”........................................................................................................................ 119
Vance Claimed “Folks Back Home” Were Worried About The GOP-Led ObamaCare
Reforms And “About Losing The Medicaid Expansion And Most Worried About Losing
Their Health Care” .............................................................................................................. 119
Vance Warned That The Bill Suffered From “Core Deficiencies,” Claiming “Millions Of
People” Were “Losing Health Coverage Either Through Medicaid Or Through Another
Mechanism” ........................................................................................................................ 120
Vance Urged Sen. Rob Portman To Vote Against The House-Passed Bill To Repeal And
Replace ObamaCare Due To Its Medicaid Cuts And Tax Cuts .......................................... 120
Vance: “I Don’t Understand Why That Is Such A Focus Of The House Bill. … Don’t Have
A Health Bill And Use It To Cut Taxes” ............................................................................ 120
Vance Lamented The Lack Of A Plan To Replace ObamaCare, Saying “There Has Never
Been A Shared Republican Vision For What The Replacement Is Going To Look Like” 121
In A 2017 New York Times Op-Ed, Vance Lamented Republican Repeal Efforts For
Leaving A Situation Where “Millions Will Be Unable To Pay For Basic Health Care” ... 121
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Vance Said Republicans Would Likely Find Themselves “Mired In Internal Contradictions”
Like Arguing That “A Bill That Cuts Subsidies For The Poor Somehow Makes Care More
Accessible” ......................................................................................................................... 121
Following The Defeat Of The Bill, Vance Called The Legislation A “Moral And Political
Disaster” .............................................................................................................................. 122
VANCE HAS PREVIOUSLY INDICATED SOME HESITATION CONCERNING
SCHOOL CHOICE INITIATIVES ........................................................................................ 123
Vance Has Previously Questioned The Effectiveness Of Vouchers For High-School Aged
Students ............................................................................................................................... 123
VANCE HAS EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR ASPECTS OF THE LEFT’S EXTREMIST
CLIMATE AGENDA ............................................................................................................. 124
Vance Previously Suggested The U.S. Has “A Climate Problem”..................................... 124
Vance Previously Acknowledged That Coal Jobs Are Not Coming Back ......................... 124
Vance Previously Said Natural Gas Would Not Take Us To A Clean Energy Future ....... 124
Vance Previously Doubted Whether There Would Be Job-Related Benefits From Pulling
Out Of The Paris Climate Agreement ................................................................................. 124
VANCE WAS CRITICAL OF TRUMP’S SUGGESTION TO BUILD A U.S. SOUTHERN
BORDER WALL .................................................................................................................... 125
Vance Previously Criticized The Idea Of A Southern Border Wall ................................... 125
VANCE WAS CRITICAL OF TRUMP’S PROPOSED TRAVEL BAN ............................. 125
Vance Previously Opposed Trump’s Muslim Ban ............................................................. 125
VANCE PREVIOUSLY BLAMED U.S. BUSINESSES ON THE BORDER CRISIS ........ 126
In March 2021, Vance Wrote That The “Masters Of The Universe” And The Need For
“Cheap Foreign Labor” Resulted In The Border Crisis ...................................................... 126
Vance Said Illegal Immigration Is “About Money” And Cheap Labor For Business Leaders
............................................................................................................................................. 126
Vance Said “We Should Take A Page From President Trump's Playbook And Call This
What It Is” Despite Accusations From Some That It Is Racist To Criticize Biden’s
Immigration Policies ........................................................................................................... 126
In 2019, Vance Agreed With Fox News’ Tucker Carlson That The “Ruling Class” Had
Made The Immigration Debate About Race To Convince Black Voters To Support Liberal
Immigration Policies Against Their Economic Interests .................................................... 127
VANCE HAS PREVIOUSLY TAKEN POSITIONS THAT UNDERMINE THE
RELIGIOUS-RIGHT .............................................................................................................. 127
Vance Attacked 2012 GOP Candidates For Missing “The Mark” On Evolution............... 127
Vance Criticized GOP Presidential Candidates Opposed To The Federal Marriage
Amendment, Which He Said Would Rip “Apart New Families” ....................................... 128
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VANCE’S CONTROVERSIAL FOREIGN POLICY RECORD .............................................. 129
VANCE CRITICIZED THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR THE AIRSTRIKE THAT
KILLED QASEM SOLEIMANI ............................................................................................ 129
In 2020, Vance Criticized President Trump’s Airstrike Killing Iranian General Qasem
Soleimani, Worrying It Would Continue To Bog Down America In The Middle East To
The Advantage Of China .................................................................................................... 129
Vance Suggested That The Country Had Been Entangled In Wars In The Middle East So
“Financial Elites” Could Profit From The Rise Of China .................................................. 129
VANCE HAS MADE CONTROVERSIAL REMARKS CONCERNING CHINESE
PATRIOTISM......................................................................................................................... 130
Vance Previously Claimed That Chinese Nationals Were More Patriotic Than U.S.
Nationals ............................................................................................................................. 130
VANCE APPEARS TO HAVE FLIP-FLOPPED ON HIS SUPPORT FOR THE IRAQ WAR
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In 2016, Vance Criticized The Iraq War And Jeb Bush For Continuing To Defend The War
............................................................................................................................................. 130
However, Vance Previously Noted He Supported The Invasion Of Iraq ........................... 131
Additionally, Vance Was A Reporter For The U.S. Department Of Defense And Reported
Successes In Iraq ................................................................................................................. 132
In Early 2017, Vance Has Criticized “Never-Ending Commitment” To Iraq While Calling
For “Some Sort Of Happy Median” Going Forward Under Trump ................................... 132
VANCE APPEARS TO HAVE EMBRACED NON-INTERVENTIONISM ....................... 133
Vance Has Called For A More Non-Interventionist Foreign Policy .................................. 133
VANCE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE CHIEF OBSTRUCTIONISTS TO U.S. EFFORTS TO
PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO UKRAINE ........................................................................ 134
According To The Associated Press, Vance Expressed His Opposition To Ukraine Funding
By Stating “The Problem In Ukraine … Is That There’s No Clear End Point” ................. 134
Vance Claimed Ukraine Funding Will “Not Going To Fundamentally Change The Reality
On The Battlefield” ............................................................................................................. 134
Vance Supports “Negotiated Peace” Between Russia And Ukraine .................................. 134
Vance Published A Press Release Describing Ukraine Aid Legislation As A “‘Ukraine
First’ Foreign Aid Package” ............................................................................................... 135
In 2023, Vance Signed Onto A Letter To The Director Of The Office Of Management And
Budget Calling For Details On Ukraine Spending ............................................................. 137
Recently, Vance Stated He Opposed Ukraine Funding In Order To Protect Donald Trump
From Potential Future Impeachment .................................................................................. 139
VANCE’S NOTABLE VULNERABILITIES WITH MODERATES ...................................... 140
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VANCE HAS TAKEN A POPULIST VIEW ON GLOBAL FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS
................................................................................................................................................. 140
Vance Supports Trade Policies “Different” From Free Trade ............................................ 140
Vance Opposed Completely Unwinding Trade Agreements, Noting The “Factories Still
Aren’t Coming Back” ......................................................................................................... 140
Vance Has Criticized The Idea That Bad Trade Deals—Including With Countries Like
China—Were To Blame For Job Losses ............................................................................ 140
Vance: “It's Not That We Have This Terrible Trade Deal With China. It's Just That A Lot
Of Things ............................................................................................................................ 140
Vance Has Suggested That The Republican Party’s Support For Free Trade Is At Odds With
Its Working Class Base ....................................................................................................... 141
VANCE APPEARS TO HAVE ONCE CALLED FOR SLASHING SOCIAL SECURITY
AND MEDICARE .................................................................................................................. 141
Prior To Running For Office, Vance Wrote That He Would Support Dramatic Cuts To
Social Security And Supported A Plan That The AARP Warned Would “End Medicare As
We Know It” ....................................................................................................................... 141
VANCE IS OPPOSED TO PROVIDING CHILDCARE ASSISTANCE TO LOW INCOME
AMERICANS ......................................................................................................................... 145
Vance Opposed Biden’s Plan To Expand Child Care To Low- And Moderate-Income
Families ............................................................................................................................... 145
After His Wife Gave Birth To Their First Child, Vance Was Living In Columbus While His
Wife Lived In Washington, D.C. With Her Mother ........................................................... 146
Vance Supports Legislation To Expand Kinship Guardians In Ohio ................................. 146
VANCE APPEARS TO OPPOSE STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAMS ....... 147
Vance Criticized Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Proposals ............................................. 147
However, Vance Indicated Support For Hillary Clinton’s Free-College Plan ................... 147
VANCE IS OPPOSED TO EXPANDING HEALTHCARE ACCESS TO ALL AMERICANS
................................................................................................................................................. 147
Vance Criticized Medicare For All As A “Big Handout” To The Healthcare Sector ........ 147
VANCE EXPRESSED A SERIES OF CONTROVERSIAL VIEWS DURING THE COVID
PANDEMIC ............................................................................................................................ 147
Vance Criticized Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer For Allowing Abortion Clinics To
Stay Open Under Her COVID-19 Lockdown Order .......................................................... 147
Vance Criticized Public Health Experts And Elected Officials For Supporting Black Lives
Matter Protests While Condemning Anti-Lockdown Protests............................................ 148
VANCE SUPPORTS PLACING RESTRICTIONS ON ABORTION ACCESS .................. 149
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Vance Supported Georgia’s Heartbeat Bill ......................................................................... 149
Vance Opposes Third-Trimester Abortions ........................................................................ 149
Vance Has Stated He Does Not Support Abortion Exceptions In The Case Of Rape........ 150
Vance Is Noted As Having Expressed That Divorce Is Too Common And That Women In
Violent Marriage Should Stay In Them For The Sake Of Their Children ......................... 151
VANCE HAS EXPRESSED CONTROVERSIAL VIEWS CONCERNING AMERICAN
UNIVERSITIES ..................................................................................................................... 154
Vance Accused Chinese Graduate Students Of “Conspir[ing] To Steal Our Intellectual
Property” ............................................................................................................................. 154
Vance Called For Penalizing Universities That Accept Donations From Foreign Counties
............................................................................................................................................. 154
In 2023, Vance Posted To Twitter Stating “The Anti-Whiteness Movement, Mainstreamed
By American Universities And Corporations, Has Blood On Its Hands” .......................... 154
VANCE HAS PUSHED PSEUDO-CHRISTIAN VALUES ENCOURAGING THE
TRADITIONAL NUCLEAR FAMILY ................................................................................. 155
Vance Has Called For Policies To Encourage Families To Have More Children ............. 155
VANCE APPEARS TO SUPPORT LAWS REQUIRING BUSINESSES TO CLOSE ON
SUNDAYS .............................................................................................................................. 156
Vance Seemingly Supports “Blue Laws,” Requiring Businesses To Close On Sundays ... 156
VANCE APPEARS TO OPPOSE THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA .................... 156
Vance Has Criticized Marijuana Legalization .................................................................... 156
However, Vance Previously Called On Republicans To “Get Serious” About The
Punishment Of Black Fathers For Marijuana Possession ................................................... 156
VANCE PUSHED TRUMP TO NOMINATE CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE BRETT
KAVANAUGH TO THE SUPREME COURT ..................................................................... 157
Vance Wrote An Op-Ed In The Wall Street Journal Urging Trump To Select Brett
Kavanaugh For The Supreme Court ................................................................................... 157
Vance Signed A Public Letter Praising Brett Kavanaugh’s Nomination To The Supreme
Court ................................................................................................................................... 158
Vance Said That Kavanaugh’s Views On Constitutional Interpretation Were More
Important Than His Views On Specific Policy Issues ........................................................ 159
Vance Praised Kavanaugh’s Teaching Abilities And Predicted They Would Make Him A
Good Supreme Court Justice .............................................................................................. 160
Vance Defended Kavanaugh And His Supporters During The Confirmation Hearings .... 160
Usha Vance Clerked For Kavanaugh .................................................................................. 161
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Notably, Vance Has Complained The Conservative Legal Movement Had Betrayed Social
Conservatives After A SCOTUS Ruling Against LGBT Workplace Discrimination ........ 161
VANCE HAS TAKEN A SERIES OF CONTROVERSIAL POSITIONS CONCERNING
RACE RELATIONS ............................................................................................................... 162
Vance Claimed The Protests Against Police Violence Following The Death Of George
Floyd Were Distractions From More Important Economic Issues ..................................... 162
Vance Has Been Accused Of Echoing White Supremacists With His Worries About
America’s Low Fertility Rate ............................................................................................. 163
A Separate Washington Post Op-Ed Attacked Vance For Alleged Comments Supporting
Benefits To “Our People” ................................................................................................... 164
VANCE HAS A TAKEN A SERIES OF OTHER CONTROVERSIAL POSITIONS ON
VARIOUS CULTURE WAR TOPICS .................................................................................. 164
Vance Criticized Prince Harry And Meghan Markle For “Complaining” Instead Of Having
“Gratitude” For Their Privilege .......................................................................................... 164
Vance Said Trump’s Fight With The NFL Over Kneeling Was A Political Win For Trump
............................................................................................................................................. 165
VANCE HAS TIES TO VARIOUS CONTROVERSIAL FIGURES ................................... 166
Steve Bannon Once Called For Vance To Become Head Of The Heritage Foundation .... 166
Vance Appears To Have Ties To Alex Jones ..................................................................... 166
VANCE’S ADDITIONAL PERSONAL AND POLITICAL FOIBLES ................................... 166
VANCE’S ‘OUR OHIO RENEWAL’ HAS BEEN HEAVILY SCRUTINIZED BY CRITICS
................................................................................................................................................. 166
Vance Founded Our Ohio Renewal – A Non-Profit With The Goal Of Combatting The
Opioid Epidemic And Improving Opportunity In Ohio ..................................................... 166
In 2019, Vance Maintained That Our Ohio Renewal Was Still Operational – Despite Its
Website Being Offline – And Said It Was Sponsoring A Residency For A Researcher In
Southern Ohio ..................................................................................................................... 169
Despite Its Stated Goals, Our Ohio Renewal Spent More Than 95 Percent Of Its 2017
Fundraising ......................................................................................................................... 171
Our Ohio Renewal Appears To Have Been Largely Defunct Since 2017 .......................... 171
Our Ohio Renewal Has A Sister Organization Which Has Never Raised More Than $50,000
In A Year............................................................................................................................. 171
Our Ohio Renewal Was Run By Both A Longtime Republican And A Friend Of Vance
Who Is Progressive ............................................................................................................. 171
VANCE’S TIME WORKING WITH ‘REVOLUTION LLC’ CREATES A SERIES OF
NOTABLE VULNERABILITIES WITH AMERICA-FIRST CONSERVATIVES............. 172
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Vance Worked At Revolution LLC, A Firm Founded By Steve Case, The Founder Of AOL
............................................................................................................................................. 172
Steve Case Was A Vocal Supporter Of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Campaign ........................ 173
Revolution Backed A Company Invested In By Former Democratic Presidential Candidate
John Delaney ....................................................................................................................... 173
Vance Was A Co-Worker Of Ron Klain, President Joe Biden’s Chief Of Staff ................ 174
Shortly After Vance Was Hired By Revolution, Case Came Out Against President Trump’s
Immigration Policies ........................................................................................................... 174
While Vance Was Employed By Revolution, Case Met With Trump ............................... 175
Revolution Backed DraftKings Which Operates Sports Gambling .................................... 175
Steve Case Sold His Virginia Home To Saudi Arabia For $43 Million ............................. 176
Case Was Part Of A Global Advisory Board For A Tourism Destination In Saudi Arabia
But Backed Out After The Killing Of Jamal Khashoggi .................................................... 176
VANCE WAS ALSO INVOLVED WITH STEVE CASE’S ‘RISE OF THE REST’ FUND –
ANOTHER CONTROVERSIAL ROLE ................................................................................ 177
Vance Was Part Of Steve Case’s Rise Of The Rest – An Initiative Backed By Wealthy Tech
Investors .............................................................................................................................. 177
Rise Of The Rest Invested In A Startup Founded By A Former Obama Official .............. 179
Rise Of The Rest Invested In Gig Wage, A Company That Assists With Moving Money
Within The Gig Economy ................................................................................................... 179
Vance And Rise Of The Rest Invested In Various Companies Across The Country ......... 180
VANCE APPEARS TO HAVE ENJOYED A LUXURIOUS LIFESTYLE SINCE
BECOMING A PUBLISHED AUTHOR SEVERAL YEARS AGO .................................... 183
Since Publishing His Book, Vance Has Enjoyed Luxury Accommodations...................... 183
Vance Admits To Being A Member Of The Elite .............................................................. 183
Hypocritically, Vance Has Utilized Class-Based Politics .................................................. 183
VULNERABILITIES STEMMING FROM HILLBILLY ELEGY....................................... 184
Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy Received Steady Criticism ........................................................... 184
VANCE’S TIES TO CIRCUIT THERAPEUTICS COULD CREATE VULNERABILITIES
................................................................................................................................................. 188
Vance Worked For A Biotechnology Company That Received Federal Contracts ........... 188
VANCE’S TIES TO INNOVATE OHIO COULD CREATE VULNERABILITIES ........... 188
Vance Served On The Advisory Board Of InnovateOhio .................................................. 188
VANCE’S TIES TO LED COULD CREATE VULNERABILITIES ................................... 189
Vance Invested In An LED Greenhouse Project ................................................................ 189
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VANCE’S TIES TO MITHRIL CAPITAL COULD CREATE VULNERABILITIES ........ 189
After Law School, Vance Worked At A Law Firm And Then Became An Executive At A
Biotech Company. From There, He Left To Join Mithril Capital, An Investment Firm .... 189
The FBI Probed Mithril Capital, Vance’s Former Employer, Over Possible Financial
Misconduct .......................................................................................................................... 190
VANCE’S TIES TO NARYA CAPITAL COULD CREATE VULNERABILITIES ........... 190
In 2020, Vance Started An Ohio-Based Venture Capital Fund – Narya Capital – With
Backers Including Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen And Eric Schmidt ................................. 190
One Of The Founding Partners Of Narya Was Falon Donohue, The Former CEO Of
VentureOhio ........................................................................................................................ 191
Narya Capital Invested In AcreTrader ................................................................................ 191
Vance And Narya Are Investors In Appharvest - A Startup Growing Produce In
Greenhouses In Appalachia ................................................................................................ 191
Narya Capital Invested In Kriya Therapeutics, A Company Located In The Bay Area Of
California And The Research Triangle Park In North Carolina ......................................... 193
Parler Attempted To Raise Capital From Narya Capital .................................................... 193
APPENDIX A: ISSUES OF NOTE (BY SUBJECT AREA) ..................................................... 194
FISCAL AND ECONOMIC ................................................................................................... 194
Overall – Commentary And Philosophy ............................................................................. 194
Taxes ................................................................................................................................... 199
Tax Cuts .............................................................................................................................. 200
Federal Funding .................................................................................................................. 201
Subsidies ............................................................................................................................. 205
Labor ................................................................................................................................... 205
Miscellaneous ..................................................................................................................... 207
HEALTHCARE ...................................................................................................................... 210
Obamacare .......................................................................................................................... 210
COVID-19........................................................................................................................... 214
ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................................... 214
Climate Change – Commentary .......................................................................................... 214
EDUCATION ......................................................................................................................... 215
School Choice ..................................................................................................................... 215
IMMIGRATION, PUBLIC SAFETY, CRIMINAL JUSTICE .............................................. 216
Immigration......................................................................................................................... 216
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D.C. Criminal Code ............................................................................................................ 219
Miscellaneous – Crime ....................................................................................................... 220
FOREIGN POLICY AND DEFENSE.................................................................................... 220
Overall................................................................................................................................. 220
Ukraine-Russia Conflict...................................................................................................... 221
Trump - Soleimani .............................................................................................................. 228
Iraq ...................................................................................................................................... 229
Israel .................................................................................................................................... 231
China ................................................................................................................................... 232
Ireland ................................................................................................................................. 232
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES .................................................................................... 233
Abortion .............................................................................................................................. 233
Race..................................................................................................................................... 238
Religion ............................................................................................................................... 238
POLITICAL ............................................................................................................................ 239
Trump .................................................................................................................................. 239
Republican Politicians – Notable Affiliations .................................................................... 253
Liberal Politicians – Notable Affiliations ........................................................................... 254
GOP Donors – Commentary ............................................................................................... 258
Libertarians – Commentary ................................................................................................ 261
Conservative Media – Commentary ................................................................................... 261
Campaign Notes - 2018 Campaign ..................................................................................... 262
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL .................................................................................... 265
Legal Career Notes ............................................................................................................. 265
Notable Residency History ................................................................................................. 269
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EXECUTIVE SYNOPSIS
DOSSIER NOTES
In preparing this background report, we undertook an examination of all readily available and
relevant electronic and online records, several hundred Nexis and news articles, dozens of active
and archived web pages, and several dozen public records from Nexis and the resources of
various federal, state, and municipal government offices. The results of our analysis are
contained below.
Typographical Note: There are a number of articles quoted in this report that contain
typographical errors. These are from the original text of the article and have not been corrected
when being quoted directly.
POTENTIAL VULNERABILITIES
Potential Opposition Narrative - Anti-Trump Record And Establishment Ties
JD Vance's political journey has been marked by notable shifts and contradictions, making his
stance on Donald Trump a subject of intrigue and critique.
During the 2016 election, Vance openly opposed Trump, announcing his intention to vote third
party and expressing doubt about Trump's effectiveness. His critical views extended to likening
Trump to heroin and dismissing the ‘MAGA’ movement as a ‘quick high.’ Described as a 'never
Trumper,' Vance declared his opposition on public platforms, asserting that Trump was not the
ideal candidate for white-working class voters. In 2016, Vance aligned himself with Trump's
accusers, tweeting about allegations of sexual assault and implying a skepticism of Trump's
honesty. He connected racism and xenophobia to Trump's base of support, emphasizing racial
resentment among Trump's followers.
Vance's association with the American Enterprise Institute, an organization critical of Trump,
adds another layer to his political affiliations. As a former writer for FrumForum, run by known
'never Trumper' David Frum, Vance's connections to Trump-antagonists become more apparent.
Despite initial moderate Republican and Democratic tendencies, Vance shifted his stance,
actively supporting Trump's policies and encouraging votes for him in the 2020 election.
Vance's political evolution raises questions about the consistency of his views and the influences
shaping his positions.
Potential Opposition Narrative - Questionable Conservatism
JD Vance's political views display a nuanced landscape, revealing a range of positions that
traverse traditional party lines. While acknowledging the benefits of certain Democratic policies
for working-class Americans, Vance has been notably critical of aspects of the Trump
Administration's agenda. His skepticism extends to Trump's core domestic policy priorities,
expressing doubts about their effectiveness and seriousness in moving the country forward.
Vance diverged from Republican orthodoxy by criticizing the 2017 tax cuts bill and supporting
higher taxes on capital gains, U.S. businesses, and individuals without children.
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In a departure from conservative economic principles, Vance has questioned the emphasis on
America's businesses, criticizing corporate interests and economic incentives for company
relocations. He has signaled support for strengthening labor unions, opposing right-to-work laws,
and advocating for reforms like sectoral bargaining and labor representation on corporate boards.
This stands in contrast to traditional free-market priorities, with Vance opposing Milton
Friedman-backed policies and emphasizing the nuclear family over free-market principles.
Vance's stances on healthcare reveal further deviations from the conservative playbook, as he
opposed the Trump Administration's efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare. Expressing
concern for those potentially losing access to healthcare, Vance urged against Medicaid cuts.On
environmental issues, Vance acknowledges climate concerns and dismisses the return of coal
jobs.
Vance also is known to have criticized Trump's border wall proposal and travel ban. He
attributes the border crisis to business interests seeking cheap labor, aligning with Trump's
rhetoric but diverging on some points.
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TOP HITS
Political
Voting History & Party Affiliation
• Since 2018, Vance has failed to vote in at least four elections including the 2020 primary
elections.
• Vance was not a registered Republican Party voter in Hamilton County between
September 2018 and May 2022.
Lobbying Ties
• While not a lobbyist himself, Vance’s old law firm, Sidley Austin, lobbied on behalf of
several controversial clients during his tenure with the company.
o Between 2014 and 2015, Sidley Austin lobbied on behalf of Purdue Pharma, the
maker of OxyContin, who has paid billions of dollars in criminal and civil
penalties related to the opioid epidemic.
o Between 2014 and 2015, Sidley Austin lobbied on behalf of multiple Chinese
Communist Party-affiliated companies including Alibaba and Kaisa Group.
▪ In 2020, Alibaba, is a Chinese company which operates e-commerce
platforms, was named by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a company
Pompeo urged American companies to remove from their digital
networks.
▪ Kaisa Group is a Chinese real estate firm that was probed over alleged
links to a former state official involved in a graft investigation.
Anti-Trump Record And Establishment Ties
2016 Campaign
• Vance was opposed to Trump’s candidacy during the 2016 election.
o As early as august 2016, Vance had announced his intention to vote third party as
opposed to voting for Trump.
o Vance was accused of “effectively” voting for Hillary Clinton.
o During the campaign and after the election, Vance doubted Trump’s ability to be
effective in office.
o Vance criticized Trump’s statements and policy proposals.
o Vance said Trump’s election would be “terrible for the country”.
o Vance compared Trump to heroin and mocked MAGA as a “quick high”.
• During the 2016 campaign, Vance was described as a ‘never Trumper’.
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o In an October 2016 appearance on “The Charlie Rose Show,” Vance declared he
was “a never Trump guy” and “never liked him”.
o Vance claimed there was a “willingness from people who think a lot like I do” to
say Trump was “going to be a terrible candidate” and “that you were an idiot if
you voted for him”.
o Vance said Trump was not the best candidate for white-working class voters.
• During the 2016 campaign, Vance indicated he believed the women who accused Trump
of sexual assault.
o In 2016, Vance indicated he believed one of Trump’s sexual-assault accusers over
Trump and mocked Trump for not telling the truth.
o In 2016, it was reported that Vance tweeted “what percentage of the American
population has @RealDonaldTrump sexually assaulted?”
• During the 2016 campaign, Vance linked racism and xenophobia to Trump’s base of
support.
o In 2016, Vance said people who “might be described as if not as racist at least as
expressing some sort of racial resentment” were supporting Trump.
o In 2016, Vance said, “there are people who are drawn to Trump because he says
racially insensitive things”.
o In 2018, Vance was still an opponent of Trump, citing his race-related policies.
• Vance has suggested there was no sign of voter fraud in the 2016 election.
General Criticism
• Vance once implied that Trump is prone to lying.
o In 2017, Vance criticized Trump for saying “half-truths or lies” so frequently
“that you stop actually taking the president literally.
• Vance appeared to be critical of Trump’s comments surrounding the events in
Charlottesville.
o Following the Charlottesville protests, Vance said Trump “really missed an
opportunity to name this phenomenon and gives people a sense where it comes
from and show the moral leadership people want from a president”.
o Vance said Trump was “ambivalent or too cautious about coming out and
criticizing” racism and Nazism.
o Vance said Trump failing to unite the country following Charlottesville was a
“missed opportunity”.
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• Early in the Trump Administration, Vance indicated Trump was failing on his legislative
priorities.
o In 2017, Vance said, “I think you hear from a lot of different people if you’re on
the ground in these areas talking to people is a broad recognition that things aren’t
going fantastically well right now” regarding Trump’s legislative priorities.
o Vance: “A bigger problem, I think, is the feeling that the big pushes that the
president has really made on health care, on some of these other issues, haven’t
really materialized”.
o Vance noted there was a “sense that the President just isn’t able to deliver”.
2020 Election
• Vance, at times, appeared dismissive of efforts to highlight fraud in the 2020 election.
o After the 2020 election, Vance said people questioning the 2020 election results
would not become violent and also said Biden would be inaugurated.
Additional Anti-Trump Ties
• Vance served with the American Enterprise Institute – an organization with ties to Trump
criticism.
• Vance is an alum of the website formerly run by David Frum - a known never Trumper .
• Vance has ties to various additional Trump-antagonists.
o Vance has said he is “good friends” with Mike DeWine.
o Vance has previous ties to notorious Trump critic John Kasich.
o Vance previously supported notorious Trump critic John McCain.
Liberal Tendencies And Ties
• Vance has been previously described as a moderate with Democrat tendencies.
o In 2016, Vance said, “I’m frankly not a libertarian in the sense that I think
government has no role in fixing” societal problems.
o In 2017, the American Prospect’s Robert Kuttner said that at a recent conference
he attended with Vance, Vance “sounded almost like a Democrat”.
o In 2017, Vance was described as a “moderate Republican”.
• Vance previously heaped praise upon Hillary Clinton.
o Vance praised the 2016 Democratic National Convention while criticizing the
Republican Convention.
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o Vance said there was a chance he would vote for Clinton if Trump had a chance
to win.
o In an op-ed, Vance recalled a time in his life when he “admired President
Clinton”.
• Vance has previously heaped praise upon Barack Obama.
o Vance has praised Obama for offering “hope” and said he would “miss him” as
Obama was leaving office.
o Vance characterized Obama’s “guns and religion” comment as “well-
intentioned”.
• Vance has praised democratic-socialist Bernie Sanders.
o Vance said Bernie Sanders was his favorite Democrat running in the 2020
Democrat primary.
o Vance predicted that Trump was part of a political realignment that would
position Trump and Bernie Sanders on the same side in 20 years.
Biden-2016 Comment
• Vance appears to have once indicated that Joe Biden could have beat Trump in 2016.
Current
• Following the end of Trump’s Presidency, Vance praised Trump’s policy and was an
active supporter of his 2020 re-election.
o Vance in 2021: I “ultimately pulled the trigger and encouraged a lot of my friends
to … pull the lever for Donald Trump in 2020”.
o Vance: “I was really happy with the policy. And so, that’s what caused me to
become a Trump supporter”.
o Vance has attacked Trump’s ban from social media outlets.
o Vance blasted calls from Democrats to hold former Trump Administration
officials accountable after he left office.
Questionable Conservatism
Overall – Economic, Societal
• Vance once admitted that working class Americans benefit from Democrat-policies.
• Vance once criticized Trump’s “core domestic policy priorities”.
o In 2017, Vance reflected on Trump’s “core domestic policy priorities,” claiming it
was “not looking especially good right now”.
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o Vance: “I just don't see the evidence that we're being serious about the policies
that are necessary to move the country forward yet”.
Fiscal And Business
• Vance was critical of the Trump Administration’s 2017 Tax Cuts Bill.
o In 2018, Vance criticized republicans for living in the 1980s with the party’s tax
and health care reform policies.
o Vance criticized republicans for cutting taxes for the wealthy and cutting the
social safety net.
o In 2019, Vance criticized the 2017 tax reform law as “ok, it wasn’t terrible, but it
wasn’t great”.
o It should be noted that Vance was also critical of the Bush-era tax cuts.
• Vance has expressed support for increasing the capital gains tax rate.
• Vance has called to raise taxes on U.S. businesses in certain circumstances.
• Vance appears to support higher taxes for individuals without children.
• Vance has somewhat flip-flopped on cuts to the federal budget.
o In 2017, Vance warned that GOP budget cuts were evidence that Trump and
Republicans in Congress were not focused on “core constituencies”.
o In 2017, Vance noted he supports using government spending to solve social
problems.
o However, Vance supported the 2011 Ryan budget.
• Vance has previously signaled support for distorting the free-market with federal
subsidies.
• Vance has questioned conservatives prioritizing America’s businesses.
o Vance previously criticized conservatives for prizing corporate interests.
o Vance criticized the practice of offering economic incentives to companies to
relocate.
• Vance has indicated he supported union priorities over that of American business.
o Vance previously indicated he opposes right-to-work laws.
o Vance has criticized GOP donors for pushing antagonism toward unions.
o Vance signed onto a report calling for reforms to greatly strengthen labor unions.
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o Vance and other signers of the report called for conservatives to consider allowing
sectoral bargaining, works councils, and requiring seats for labor representatives
on corporate boards.
• Vance has been critical of free-market economic priority.
o Vance opposes Milton Friedman-backed economic policies.
o Vance has called for prioritizing the American “nuclear family” over free market
principles.
• Vance worked as a contributor for a think tank that expressed skepticism of Trump’s
America First trade agenda.
• Early during the Trump Administration, Vance questioned whether Trump should be
credited for the booming economy.
• Opponents could suggest Vance is hypocritical for his criticism of ‘big tech’.
Healthcare
• Vance opposed the Trump Administration’s efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare.
o In 2017, Vance criticized Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare
under President Trump, claiming he doesn’t “love the plan at all”.
o Vance warned that the people who would “lose out most” in the GOP-led
Obamacare replacement bill are the ones who voted for Donald Trump.
o Vance: “Those folks, they very well see their deductibles go up, their premiums
go up. … there's obviously a significant issue of folks potentially losing access to
their health care”.
o Vance claimed “folks back home” were worried about the GOP-led Obamacare
reforms and “about losing the Medicaid expansion and most worried about losing
their health care”.
o Vance warned that the bill suffered from “core deficiencies,” claiming “millions
of people” were “losing health coverage either through Medicaid or through
another mechanism”.
o Vance urged Sen. Rob Portman to vote against the House-passed bill to repeal and
replace Obamacare due to its Medicaid cuts and tax cuts.
o Vance: “I don’t understand why that is such a focus of the House Bill. … don’t
have a health bill and use it to cut taxes”.
Education And Environmental
• Vance has previously indicated some hesitation concerning school choice initiatives.
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• Vance has expressed support for aspects of the left’s extremist climate agenda.
o Vance previously suggested the U.S. has “a climate problem”.
o Vance previously acknowledged that coal jobs are not coming back.
o Vance previously said natural gas would not take us to a clean energy future.
Immigration
• Vance was critical of Trump’s suggestion to build a U.S. southern border wall.
• Vance was critical of Trump’s proposed travel ban.
• Vance previously blamed U.S. businesses on the border crisis.
o In march 2021, Vance wrote that the “masters of the universe” and the need for
“cheap foreign labor” resulted in the border crisis.
o Vance said illegal immigration is “about money” and cheap labor for business
leaders.
o Vance said “we should take a page from President Trump's playbook and call this
what it is” despite accusations from some that it is racist to criticize Biden’s
immigration policies.
Social And Cultural Issues
• Vance has previously taken positions that undermine the religious-right.
o Vance attacked 2012 GOP candidates for missing “the mark” on evolution.
o Vance criticized GOP presidential candidates opposed to the Federal Marriage
Amendment, which he said would rip “apart new families”.
Foreign Policy
• Vance criticized the Trump administration for the airstrike that killed Qasem Soleimani.
o In 2020, Vance criticized President Trump’s airstrike killing Iranian General
Qasem Soleimani, worrying it would continue to bog down America in the
Middle East to the advantage of China.
o Vance suggested that the country had been entangled in wars in the Middle East
so “financial elites” could profit from the rise of China.
• Vance has made controversial remarks concerning Chinese patriotism.
o Vance previously claimed that Chinese nationals were more patriotic than U.S.
nationals.
• Vance appears to have flip-flopped on his support for the Iraq war.
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• Vance appears to have embraced non-interventionism.
• Vance has been one of the chief obstructionists to U.S. efforts to providing assistance to
Ukraine.
Notable Vulnerabilities With Moderates
Policy
• Vance has taken a populist view on global free trade agreements.
o Vance supports trade policies “different” from free trade.
o Vance opposed completely unwinding trade agreements, noting the “factories still
aren’t coming back”.
o Vance has criticized the idea that bad trade deals—including with countries like
China—were to blame for job losses.
o Vance: “It's not that we have this terrible trade deal with China. It's just that a lot
of things.
• Vance appears to have once called for slashing Social Security and Medicare.
• Vance is opposed to providing childcare assistance to low income Americans.
o Vance opposed Biden’s plan to expand child care to low- and moderate-income
families.
o After his wife gave birth to their first child, Vance was living in Columbus while
his wife lived in Washington, D.C. with her mother.
• Vance appears to oppose student loan forgiveness programs.
o Vance criticized student loan debt forgiveness proposals.
o However, Vance indicated support for Hillary Clinton’s free-college plan.
• Vance is opposed to expanding healthcare access to all Americans.
• Vance expressed a series of controversial views during the Covid pandemic.
o Vance criticized Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer for allowing abortion
clinics to stay open under her Covid-19 lockdown order.
o Vance criticized public health experts and elected officials for supporting Black
Lives Matter protests while condemning anti-lockdown protests.
• Vance supports placing restrictions on abortion access.
o Vance supported Georgia’s Heartbeat Bill.
o Vance opposes third-trimester abortions.
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o Vance has stated he does not support abortion exceptions in the case of rape.
Social And Cultural Issues
• Vance has expressed controversial views concerning American universities.
• Vance has pushed pseudo-Christian values encouraging the traditional nuclear family.
• Vance appears to support laws requiring businesses to close on Sundays.
• Vance appears to oppose the legalization of marijuana.
• Vance pushed Trump to nominate controversial figure Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme
Court.
• Vance has taken a series of controversial positions concerning race relations.
• Vance has a taken a series of other controversial positions on various culture war topics.
o Vance criticized Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for “complaining” instead of
having “gratitude” for their privilege.
o Vance said Trump’s fight with the NFL over kneeling was a political win for
Trump.
• Vance has ties to various controversial figures.
o Steve Bannon once called for Vance to become head of the Heritage Foundation.
o Vance appears to have ties to Alex Jones.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
PERSONAL INFORMATION: J.D. VANCE
Full Name:
James David “J.D.” Vance
Formerly: James Donald Bowman
DOB:
August 2, 1984 (39)
Social Security:
288-84-XXXX
Home Address:
1858 William Howard Taft Road
Cincinnati, OH 45206
Hamilton County
(2018-Pres.)
Additional Property: 1305 C Street NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
(2014-Pres.)
Marital Status: Married
Partner:
Usha Bala Vance (née Chilukuri)
DOB: January 6, 1986 (38)
Children: Three
Voter Registration: Registered Republican – Hamilton County, Ohio
Education:
2010 – 2013 J.D., Yale Law School
2007 – 2009 B.A., Political Science & Philosophy, Ohio State
University
Employment:
2023 – Pres. Senator, U.S. Senate, Ohio
2019 – 2023 Co-Founder/Parter, Narya
2017 – 2019 Partner, Revolution LLC (Rise of the Rest)
2016 – 2017 Principal, Mithril Capital
2013 – 2015 Attorney, Sidley Austin LLP
2003 – 2007 Marine, U.S. Marine Corps
Associations:
Former Editor, Yale Law Journal
Former President, Yale Law Veterans Association
Military Service: 2003 – 2007 U.S. Marine Corps
https://jdvance.com/about/
https://www.vance.senate.gov/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._D._Vance
https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/j-d-vance
https://ballotpedia.org/J.D._Vance
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/201794/jd-vance
https://www.facebook.com/jd.vance84
https://www.facebook.com/people/JD-Vance/100070055152736
https://www.facebook.com/senatorvance
https://twitter.com/JDVance1
https://www.instagram.com/jd_vance432/
https://www.instagram.com/teamjdvance
https://www.instagram.com/senatorvance/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCluFPcbaS6JIh-JW7uaVG4A
https://www.youtube.com/@senatorjdvance
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jd-vance-770a9047/
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Election Results:
2022 U.S. Senate, Ohio (General, Won)
Web Sites:
https://jdvance.com/
https://www.vance.senate.gov/
https://en.wikipedia.org/
https://www.harpercollins.com/
https://ballotpedia.org/
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/
Social Media:
Facebook (Personal)
Facebook (Campaign)
Facebook (Official)
Twitter (Campaign)
Instagram (Personal)
Instagram (Campaign)
Instagram (Official)
YouTube (Campaign)
YouTube (Official)
LinkedIn (Personal)
Email:
JHAMEL@TEJATC.ORG
Phone:
(443) 618-8543
https://www.fec.gov/introduction-campaign-finance/election-and-voting-information/
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ELECTION RESULTS
J.D. Vance has been serving in the U.S. Senate from Ohio since winning his 2022 campaign.
2022 General Election, U.S. Senate, Ohio
General Election Results (November 8, 2022)
Candidate
Party
Vote Total
J.D. Vance
REP
2,192,114
Tim Ryan
DEM
1,939,489
(Official Election Results, Federal Election Commission, 11/8/22)
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
Since 2023, J.D. Vance has received an aggregate of $1,574,894.48 in total contributions for his
re-election campaign. Vance transferred more than $160,000 from his fundraising committee
and has also received hundreds of thousands of dollars from special interest groups including
the National Association of Convenience Stores and the National Automobile Dealers
Association. Vance has also received funding from corporations such as SpaceX, Honeywell, and
Comcast. It should also be noted that Vance has accepted funding from Republican PACs and
groups who may be considered out-of-touch with the current party, like Mitch McConnell and
the Susan B. Anthony List. Further, Vance has begun to pay himself back for the loans he gave to
his 2022 campaign, disbursing $700,000 in 2022 and an additional $614,500 in 2023.
In 2022, Vance received an aggregate of $15,994,977.29 in total contributions for his campaign
for the U.S. Senate. Vance personally loaned his campaign $1.4 million and received similarly
large contributions from Republican-aligned committees including the RNC, the NRSC, and the
Republican Jewish Coalition. Vance additionally received large contributions from corporations
such as Altria, Nextera, and Marathon Petroleum. Of note, Vance received funding from
establishment PACs and groups such as Koch Industries, as well as the leadership PACs of Roy
Blunt, Lindsey Graham, and Mike Huckabee. It should also be noted that Vance has received
thousands of dollars from individuals with a history of anti-Trump rhetoric like Ken Griffen and
Paul Singer.
Individually, Vance has contributed an aggregate of $15,325 to federal and statewide campaign
committees. Federally, Vance contributed $11,255, giving to various Republicans from Ohio
including Rob Portman and Max Miller, as well as other prominent Republicans across the
country such as Blake Masters and Joe Kent. At the state level, Vance has contributed $4,100 to
campaign committees in the state of Ohio, giving it entirely to Sharon Kennedy’s campaign for
the Ohio Supreme Court.
https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/S2OH00436/?cycle=2028&election_full=true
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JD Vance For Senate (2028)
Notable Contributions
Since 2023, Vance Has Received An Aggregate Of $1,574,894.48 In Total Contributions For
His Campaign For U.S. Senate. (Federal Election Commission, Accessed 2/23/24)
Recipient
Aggregate Amount YTD
VANCE VICTORY
$160,426.51
OHIOANS FOR JD
$13,166.99
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONVENIENCE
STORES
$10,000.00
BOOTS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
$10,000.00
HILL, VERNON
$6,777.50
SORIANO, JOHN D.
$6,600.00
SAAD, HENRY B. MR.
$6,600.00
SAAD, MARA LETICA MRS.
$6,600.00
MOSING, GREG
$6,600.00
KAY, ALISON
$6,600.00
ARMSTRONG, BRIAN
$6,600.00
BAKER, DANIEL L. MR.
$6,600.00
WITKOFF, ZACHARY D.
$6,500.00
OUSTERHOUT, DOUGLAS
$6,000.00
DIXON, KENNETH
$6,000.00
KLEIN, RUSSELL B. MR.
$5,800.00
STEER PAC
$5,000.00
SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP.
PAC
$5,000.00
US ENERGY OF PAC (THE PAC OF AXPC)
$5,000.00
SCHNEIDER NATIONAL INC. TRANSPAC
$5,000.00
VERN POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
$5,000.00
TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION FEDERAL
PAC
$5,000.00
TZEDEK PAC
$5,000.00
STRATEGY PAC
$5,000.00
RECLAIM AMERICA PAC
$5,000.00
POLITICAL EDUCATION PATTERNS
$5,000.00
ROBICHAUD, KAREN A.
$5,000.00
NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE DEALERS
ASSOCIATION PAC
$5,000.00
R SENATE PAC
$5,000.00
NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION PAC
$5,000.00
REPUBLICAN MAJORITY FUND
$5,000.00
OBERHEIDEN, NICK MR.
$5,000.00
ROBINSON, ROBERT S. MR. SR.
$5,000.00
MORTGAGE BANKERS ASSOCIATION
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (MORPAC)
$5,000.00
NACD RESPONSIBLE DISTRIBUTION PAC
$5,000.00
LODGE, JOHN WILLIAM MR. III
$5,000.00
LETS GET TO WORK PAC
$5,000.00
MARSHA PAC
$5,000.00
1
RESEARCH DOSSIER
J.D. VANCE
Last Updated: February 23, 2024
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................ 2
EXECUTIVE SYNOPSIS ............................................................................................................ 18
DOSSIER NOTES .................................................................................................................... 18
POTENTIAL VULNERABILITIES ........................................................................................ 18
Potential Opposition Narrative - Anti-Trump Record And Establishment Ties ................... 18
Potential Opposition Narrative - Questionable Conservatism .............................................. 18
TOP HITS ................................................................................................................................. 20
Political ................................................................................................................................. 20
Anti-Trump Record And Establishment Ties ....................................................................... 20
Questionable Conservatism .................................................................................................. 23
Notable Vulnerabilities With Moderates .............................................................................. 27
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ............................................................................................. 29
PERSONAL INFORMATION: J.D. VANCE.......................................................................... 29
ELECTION RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 31
2022 General Election, U.S. Senate, Ohio ............................................................................ 31
CAMPAIGN FINANCE ........................................................................................................... 31
JD Vance For Senate (2028) ................................................................................................. 32
JD Vance For Senate (2022) ................................................................................................. 34
Individual Contributions ....................................................................................................... 46
VOTING RECORDS ................................................................................................................ 47
Hamilton County, OH ........................................................................................................... 47
Franklin County, OH ............................................................................................................ 49
Butler County, OH ................................................................................................................ 50
EDUCATION RECORDS ........................................................................................................ 51
Ohio State University ............................................................................................................ 51
PUBLIC COMPENSATION RECORDS ................................................................................ 52
U.S. Senate (2013-Pres.) ....................................................................................................... 52
MILITARY RECORDS............................................................................................................ 53
U.S. Marine Corps (2003-2007) ........................................................................................... 53
LOBBYING RECORDS .......................................................................................................... 53
Sidley Austin ......................................................................................................................... 54
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CRIMINAL RECORDS ........................................................................................................... 56
Traffic Citations .................................................................................................................... 56
POLICE RECORDS ................................................................................................................. 57
REAL PROPERTY RECORDS ............................................................................................... 57
1858 William Howard Taft Road, Cincinnati, OH, Hamilton County ................................. 57
1305 C Street NE, Washington, D.C. ................................................................................... 58
BANKRUPTCIES, JUDGMENTS, & LIENS RECORDS ...................................................... 60
Small Claims ......................................................................................................................... 60
LEGAL ISSUES ....................................................................................................................... 61
BUSINESS RECORDS ............................................................................................................ 61
JD Vance Enterprises LLC ................................................................................................... 62
JDE Enterprise Investments LLC ......................................................................................... 62
Narya Capital Management, LLC ......................................................................................... 63
Narya Capital Fund I, L.P. .................................................................................................... 63
Narya Capital GP I, LLC ...................................................................................................... 64
NON-PROFIT RECORDS ....................................................................................................... 64
Our Ohio Renewal Foundation ............................................................................................. 64
PROFESSIONAL & RECREATIONAL LICENSES .............................................................. 65
Attorney License ................................................................................................................... 65
PERSONAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE .............................................................................. 66
2022 Personal Financial Disclosure, U.S. Senate ................................................................. 66
VANCE’S ANTI-TRUMP RECORD AND ESTABLISHMENT TIES ..................................... 71
VANCE WAS OPPOSED TO TRUMP’S CANDIDACY DURING THE 2016 ELECTION 71
As Early As August 2016, Vance Had Announced His Intention To Vote Third Party As
Opposed To Voting For Trump ............................................................................................ 71
Vance Was Accused Of “Effectively” Voting For Hillary Clinton ...................................... 73
During The Campaign And After The Election, Vance Doubted Trump’s Ability To Be
Effective In Office ................................................................................................................ 73
Vance Criticized Trump’s Statements And Policy Proposals............................................... 74
Vance Said Trump’s Election Would Be “Terrible For The Country” ................................ 75
Vance Compared Trump To Heroin And Mocked MAGA As A “Quick High” ................. 75
Vance Called Trump “Dangerous” On Numerous Occasions .............................................. 75
Vance Said Voters Were Not Attached To Trump And He Would Get “Crushed” ............. 76
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Vance Wrote That He “Loathed” Trump’s “Obvious Personal Character Flaws” ............... 76
Vance Said He Fought Against Trump ................................................................................. 76
Vance Said Trump Was A Bad 2016 Candidate ................................................................... 77
Vance Said, “We Have To Reject The Rhetoric Of Trump” ................................................ 77
After The 2016 Election, Vance Said He Did Not Think Trump Fully Appreciated The
“Complexity Of What’s Going On” ..................................................................................... 77
Vance Criticized Trump For Creating Finger Pointing Among The White Working Class 78
DURING THE 2016 CAMPAIGN, VANCE WAS DESCRIBED AS A ‘NEVER TRUMPER’
................................................................................................................................................... 78
In An October 2016 Appearance On “The Charlie Rose Show,” Vance Declared He Was “A
Never Trump Guy” And “Never Liked Him” ....................................................................... 78
Vance Claimed There Was A “Willingness From People Who Think A Lot Like I Do” To
Say Trump Was “Going To Be A Terrible Candidate” And “That You Were An Idiot If You
Voted For Him” .................................................................................................................... 78
Vance Said Trump Was Not The Best Candidate For White-Working Class Voters .......... 79
DURING THE 2016 CAMPAIGN, VANCE INDICATED HE BELIEVED THE WOMEN
WHO ACCUSED TRUMP OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ............................................................. 79
In 2016, Vance Indicated He Believed One Of Trump’s Sexual-Assault Accusers Over
Trump And Mocked Trump For Not Telling The Truth....................................................... 79
In 2016, It Was Reported That Vance Tweeted “What Percentage Of The American
Population Has @Realdonaldtrump Sexually Assaulted?” .................................................. 80
DURING THE 2016 CAMPAIGN, VANCE LINKED RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA TO
TRUMP’S BASE OF SUPPORT ............................................................................................. 80
In 2016, Vance Said People Who “Might Be Described As If Not As Racist At Least As
Expressing Some Sort Of Racial Resentment” Were Supporting Trump ............................. 80
In 2016, Vance Said, “There Are People Who Are Drawn To Trump Because He Says
Racially Insensitive Things” ................................................................................................. 81
In 2018, Vance Was Still An Opponent Of Trump, Citing His Race-Related Policies ........ 84
VANCE HAS SUGGESTED THERE WAS NO SIGN OF VOTER FRAUD IN THE 2016
ELECTION ............................................................................................................................... 84
Vance Said Voter Fraud Did Not Impact The 2016 Election And Said There Was No
Evidence Of It ....................................................................................................................... 84
VANCE ONCE IMPLIED THAT TRUMP IS PRONE TO LYING ....................................... 85
In 2017, Vance Criticized Trump For Saying “Half-Truths Or Lies” So Frequently “That
You Stop Actually Taking The President Literally .............................................................. 85
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VANCE APPEARED TO BE CRITICAL OF TRUMP’S COMMENTS SURROUNDING
THE EVENTS IN CHARLOTTESVILLE ............................................................................... 85
Following The Charlottesville Protests, Vance Said Trump “Really Missed An Opportunity
To Name This Phenomenon And Gives People A Sense Where It Comes From And Show
The Moral Leadership People Want From A President” ...................................................... 85
Vance Said Trump Was “Ambivalent Or Too Cautious About Coming Out And Criticizing”
Racism And Nazism ............................................................................................................. 86
Vance Said Trump Failing To Unite The Country Following Charlottesville Was A “Missed
Opportunity” ......................................................................................................................... 86
EARLY IN THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY, VANCE INDICATED TRUMP WAS FAILING
ON HIS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES .................................................................................... 86
In 2017, Vance Said, “I Think You Hear From A Lot Of Different People If You’re On The
Ground In These Areas Talking To People Is A Broad Recognition That Things Aren’t
Going Fantastically Well Right Now” Regarding Trump’s Legislative Priorities ............... 86
Vance: “A Bigger Problem, I Think, Is The Feeling That The Big Pushes That The
President Has Really Made On Health Care, On Some Of These Other Issues, Haven’t
Really Materialized” ............................................................................................................. 87
Vance Noted There Was A “Sense That The President Just Isn’t Able To Deliver” ........... 87
VANCE, AT TIMES, APPEARED DISMISSIVE OF EFFORTS TO HIGHLIGHT FRAUD
IN THE 2020 ELECTION ........................................................................................................ 87
After The 2020 Election, Vance Said People Questioning The 2020 Election Results Would
Not Become Violent And Also Said Biden Would Be Inaugurated ..................................... 87
VANCE SERVED WITH THE AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE – AN
ORGANIZATION WITH TIES TO TRUMP CRITICISM ..................................................... 88
In 2019, Vance Was Announced By Yuval Levin As A Part-Time Visiting Scholar At The
American Enterprise Institute ............................................................................................... 88
In 2021, Levin Criticized Trump For Promoting “Fraud Conspiracies” That Trump Actually
Won The Election ................................................................................................................. 88
Following The 2021 Attack On The Capitol, Levin Criticized Trump In The Dispatch And
Wrote That “Trump Almost Fully Inhabits A Boorish, Narcissistic Psychodrama Playing In
His Head” .............................................................................................................................. 89
VANCE IS AN ALUM OF THE WEBSITE FORMERLY RUN BY DAVID FRUM - A
KNOWN NEVER TRUMPER ................................................................................................. 89
Vance Is A Former Writer For FrumForum, An Online Forum Founded By David Frum .. 89
In The Acknowledgments Of Hillbilly Elegy, Vance Thanked Frum .................................. 91
Frum, A Former Speechwriter For George W. Bush, Is “One Of The Best Known Never
Trumpers” Who “Made His Break With The GOP Long Before Trump” ........................... 91
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VANCE HAS TIES TO VARIOUS ADDITIONAL TRUMP-ANTAGONISTS ................... 91
Vance Has Said He Is “Good Friends” With Mike DeWine ................................................ 91
Vance Has Previous Ties To Notorious Trump Critic John Kasich ..................................... 92
Vance Previously Supported Notorious Trump Critic John McCain ................................... 92
VANCE HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED AS A MODERATE WITH DEMOCRAT
TENDENCIES .......................................................................................................................... 92
In 2016, Vance Said, “I’m Frankly Not A Libertarian In The Sense That I Think
Government Has No Role In Fixing” Societal Problems ..................................................... 92
In 2017, The American Prospect’s Robert Kuttner Said That At A Recent Conference He
Attended With Vance, Vance “Sounded Almost Like A Democrat” ................................... 93
In 2017, Vance Was Described As A “Moderate Republican” ............................................ 93
VANCE PREVIOUSLY HEAPED PRAISE UPON HILLARY CLINTON .......................... 93
Vance Praised The 2016 Democratic National Convention While Criticizing The
Republican Convention ......................................................................................................... 93
Vance Said There Was A Chance He Would Vote For Clinton If Trump Had A Chance To
Win ........................................................................................................................................ 93
In An Op-Ed, Vance Recalled A Time In His Life When He “Admired President Clinton”94
VANCE HAS PREVIOUSLY HEAPED PRAISE UPON BARACK OBAMA ..................... 94
Vance Has Praised Obama For Offering “Hope” And Said He Would “Miss Him” As
Obama Was Leaving Office.................................................................................................. 94
Vance Characterized Obama’s “Guns And Religion” Comment As “Well-Intentioned” .... 96
Vance Claimed Some White Working-Class Voters Supported Trump Because Of A
Racially Motived Backlash To Obama ................................................................................. 96
VANCE HAS PRAISED DEMOCRATIC-SOCIALIST BERNIE SANDERS ...................... 97
Vance Said Bernie Sanders Was His Favorite Democrat Running In The 2020 Democrat
Primary .................................................................................................................................. 97
Vance Predicted That Trump Was Part Of A Political Realignment That Would Position
Trump And Bernie Sanders On The Same Side In 20 Years ................................................ 97
VANCE APPEARS TO HAVE ONCE INDICATED THAT JOE BIDEN COULD HAVE
BEAT TRUMP IN 2016 ........................................................................................................... 98
In 2016, Vance Said Biden “Could Have Done A Lot Better” Than Hillary Clinton .......... 98
FOLLOWING THE END OF TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY, VANCE PRAISED TRUMP’S
POLICY AND WAS AN ACTIVE SUPPORTER OF HIS 2020 RE-ELECTION ................. 98
Vance In 2021: I “Ultimately Pulled The Trigger And Encouraged A Lot Of My Friends To
… Pull The Lever For Donald Trump In 2020” ................................................................... 98
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Vance: “I Was Really Happy With The Policy. And So, That’s What Caused Me To
Become A Trump Supporter” ............................................................................................... 98
Vance Has Attacked Trump’s Ban From Social Media Outlets ........................................... 99
Vance Blasted Calls From Democrats To Hold Former Trump Administration Officials
Accountable After He Left Office ........................................................................................ 99
Vance Blasted The Idea In An Appearance On Fox News, And Accused Democrats Of
Wanting “Revenge” Rather Than Truth And Reconciliation ............................................... 99
Vance Worried That Reich’s Proposal Would Make It More Difficult To Staff Future
Republican Administrations................................................................................................ 100
VANCE’S QUESTIONABLE CONSERVATISM .................................................................... 101
VANCE ONCE ADMITTED THAT WORKING CLASS AMERICANS BENEFIT FROM
DEMOCRAT-POLICIES ....................................................................................................... 101
In 2016, Vance Said White Working-Class Voters Could “Benefit” From Some Democrat
Economic Policies Versus Those From Republicans ......................................................... 101
VANCE ONCE CRITICIZED TRUMP’S “CORE DOMESTIC POLICY PRIORITIES” ... 101
In 2017, Vance Reflected On Trump’s “Core Domestic Policy Priorities,” Claiming It Was
“Not Looking Especially Good Right Now” ...................................................................... 101
Vance: “I Just Don't See The Evidence That We're Being Serious About The Policies That
Are Necessary To Move The Country Forward Yet” ......................................................... 101
VANCE WAS CRITICAL OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S 2017 TAX CUTS BILL
................................................................................................................................................. 102
In 2018, Vance Criticized Republicans For Living In The 1980s With The Party’s Tax And
Health Care Reform Policies .............................................................................................. 102
Vance Criticized Republicans For Cutting Taxes For The Wealthy And Cutting The Social
Safety Net............................................................................................................................ 102
In 2019, Vance Criticized The 2017 Tax Reform Law As “Ok, It Wasn’t Terrible, But It
Wasn’t Great” ..................................................................................................................... 102
It Should Be Noted That Vance Was Also Critical Of The Bush-Era Tax Cuts ................ 102
Additionally, Vance Has Noted His Opposition To Supply-Side Tax Cuts ....................... 103
VANCE HAS EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR INCREASING THE CAPITAL GAINS TAX
RATE ...................................................................................................................................... 103
Vance Supports Raising The Capital Gains Tax Rate ........................................................ 103
VANCE HAS CALLED TO RAISE TAXES ON U.S. BUSINESSES IN CERTAIN
CIRCUMSTANCES ............................................................................................................... 104
Vance Called For Taxing Firms That Produce Goods Overseas ........................................ 104
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VANCE APPEARS TO SUPPORT HIGHER TAXES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT
CHILDREN ............................................................................................................................ 104
In 2021, Vance Said He Supports Higher Taxes For People Who Do Not Have Children 104
VANCE HAS SOMEWHAT FLIP-FLOPPED ON CUTS TO THE FEDERAL BUDGET 104
In 2017, Vance Warned That GOP Budget Cuts Were Evidence That Trump And
Republicans In Congress Were Not Focused On “Core Constituencies” ........................... 104
In 2017, Vance Noted He Supports Using Government Spending To Solve Social Problems
............................................................................................................................................. 105
However, Vance Supported The 2011 Ryan Budget .......................................................... 105
VANCE HAS PREVIOUSLY SIGNALED SUPPORT FOR DISTORTING THE FREE-
MARKET WITH FEDERAL SUBSIDIES ............................................................................ 106
Vance Called Grover Norquist A “Fiscal Phony” For Opposing Ending Ethanol Subsidies
............................................................................................................................................. 106
VANCE HAS QUESTIONED CONSERVATIVES FOR PRIORITIZING AMERICA’S
BUSINESSES ......................................................................................................................... 107
Vance Previously Criticized Conservatives For Prizing Corporate Interests ..................... 107
Vance Criticized The Practice Of Offering Economic Incentives To Companies To Relocate
............................................................................................................................................. 108
VANCE HAS INDICATED HE SUPPORTED UNION PRIORITIES OVER THAT OF
AMERICAN BUSINESS ....................................................................................................... 109
Vance Previously Indicated He Opposes Right-To-Work Laws ........................................ 109
Vance Has Criticized GOP Donors For Pushing Antagonism Toward Unions.................. 109
Vance Signed Onto A Report Calling For Reforms To Greatly Strengthen Labor Unions 109
Vance And Other Signers Of The Report Called For Conservatives To Consider Allowing
Sectoral Bargaining, Works Councils, And Requiring Seats For Labor Representatives On
Corporate Boards ................................................................................................................ 110
Under Sectoral Bargaining, Collective Bargaining Contracts And Wage Rules Are
Negotiated That Apply To All Workers In A Particular Occupation, Industry Or Region,
Rather Than At A Single Employer .................................................................................... 110
Works Councils – Common In European Factories – Allow Workers To Elect
Representatives To Work With Management To Establish Employment Policies Like Work
Hours And Disciplinary Rules ............................................................................................ 110
VANCE HAS BEEN CRITICAL OF FREE-MARKET ECONOMIC PRIORITY .............. 111
Vance Opposes Milton Friedman-Backed Economic Policies ........................................... 111
Vance Has Called For Prioritizing The American “Nuclear Family” Over Free Market
Principles............................................................................................................................. 112
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VANCE WORKED AS A CONTRIBUTOR FOR AN ORGANIZATION THAT
EXPRESSED SKEPTICISM OF TRUMP’S AMERICA FIRST TRADE AGENDA .......... 114
Vance Is A Contributing Writer For A Conservative Think Tank That Is Skeptical Of Free
Market Policies ................................................................................................................... 114
EARLY DURING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, VANCE QUESTIONED WHETHER
TRUMP SHOULD BE CREDITED FOR THE BOOMING ECONOMY ............................ 116
Vance Criticized The Relevance Of The Trump Policies To The Economic Boom And Its
Distribution To All Parts Of The Country .......................................................................... 116
OPPONENTS COULD SUGGEST VANCE IS HYPOCRITICAL FOR HIS CRITICISM OF
‘BIG TECH’............................................................................................................................ 117
Vance Has Criticized “Big Tech” But Receives His Salary From Tech Executives .......... 117
Vance Said Conservatives Should Break With Corporations Over Censorship Of Donald
Trump And His Supporters ................................................................................................. 117
VANCE OPPOSED THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORTS TO REPEAL AND
REPLACE OBAMACARE .................................................................................................... 118
In 2017, Vance Criticized Republican Efforts To Repeal And Replace Obamacare Under
President Trump, Claiming He Doesn’t “Love The Plan At All” ...................................... 118
Vance Warned That The People Who Would “Lose Out Most” In The GOP-Led
ObamaCare Replacement Bill Are The Ones Who Voted For Donald Trump .................. 118
Vance: “Those Folks, They Very Well See Their Deductibles Go Up, Their Premiums Go
Up. … There's Obviously A Significant Issue Of Folks Potentially Losing Access To Their
Health Care”........................................................................................................................ 119
Vance Claimed “Folks Back Home” Were Worried About The GOP-Led ObamaCare
Reforms And “About Losing The Medicaid Expansion And Most Worried About Losing
Their Health Care” .............................................................................................................. 119
Vance Warned That The Bill Suffered From “Core Deficiencies,” Claiming “Millions Of
People” Were “Losing Health Coverage Either Through Medicaid Or Through Another
Mechanism” ........................................................................................................................ 120
Vance Urged Sen. Rob Portman To Vote Against The House-Passed Bill To Repeal And
Replace ObamaCare Due To Its Medicaid Cuts And Tax Cuts .......................................... 120
Vance: “I Don’t Understand Why That Is Such A Focus Of The House Bill. … Don’t Have
A Health Bill And Use It To Cut Taxes” ............................................................................ 120
Vance Lamented The Lack Of A Plan To Replace ObamaCare, Saying “There Has Never
Been A Shared Republican Vision For What The Replacement Is Going To Look Like” 121
In A 2017 New York Times Op-Ed, Vance Lamented Republican Repeal Efforts For
Leaving A Situation Where “Millions Will Be Unable To Pay For Basic Health Care” ... 121
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Vance Said Republicans Would Likely Find Themselves “Mired In Internal Contradictions”
Like Arguing That “A Bill That Cuts Subsidies For The Poor Somehow Makes Care More
Accessible” ......................................................................................................................... 121
Following The Defeat Of The Bill, Vance Called The Legislation A “Moral And Political
Disaster” .............................................................................................................................. 122
VANCE HAS PREVIOUSLY INDICATED SOME HESITATION CONCERNING
SCHOOL CHOICE INITIATIVES ........................................................................................ 123
Vance Has Previously Questioned The Effectiveness Of Vouchers For High-School Aged
Students ............................................................................................................................... 123
VANCE HAS EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR ASPECTS OF THE LEFT’S EXTREMIST
CLIMATE AGENDA ............................................................................................................. 124
Vance Previously Suggested The U.S. Has “A Climate Problem”..................................... 124
Vance Previously Acknowledged That Coal Jobs Are Not Coming Back ......................... 124
Vance Previously Said Natural Gas Would Not Take Us To A Clean Energy Future ....... 124
Vance Previously Doubted Whether There Would Be Job-Related Benefits From Pulling
Out Of The Paris Climate Agreement ................................................................................. 124
VANCE WAS CRITICAL OF TRUMP’S SUGGESTION TO BUILD A U.S. SOUTHERN
BORDER WALL .................................................................................................................... 125
Vance Previously Criticized The Idea Of A Southern Border Wall ................................... 125
VANCE WAS CRITICAL OF TRUMP’S PROPOSED TRAVEL BAN ............................. 125
Vance Previously Opposed Trump’s Muslim Ban ............................................................. 125
VANCE PREVIOUSLY BLAMED U.S. BUSINESSES ON THE BORDER CRISIS ........ 126
In March 2021, Vance Wrote That The “Masters Of The Universe” And The Need For
“Cheap Foreign Labor” Resulted In The Border Crisis ...................................................... 126
Vance Said Illegal Immigration Is “About Money” And Cheap Labor For Business Leaders
............................................................................................................................................. 126
Vance Said “We Should Take A Page From President Trump's Playbook And Call This
What It Is” Despite Accusations From Some That It Is Racist To Criticize Biden’s
Immigration Policies ........................................................................................................... 126
In 2019, Vance Agreed With Fox News’ Tucker Carlson That The “Ruling Class” Had
Made The Immigration Debate About Race To Convince Black Voters To Support Liberal
Immigration Policies Against Their Economic Interests .................................................... 127
VANCE HAS PREVIOUSLY TAKEN POSITIONS THAT UNDERMINE THE
RELIGIOUS-RIGHT .............................................................................................................. 127
Vance Attacked 2012 GOP Candidates For Missing “The Mark” On Evolution............... 127
Vance Criticized GOP Presidential Candidates Opposed To The Federal Marriage
Amendment, Which He Said Would Rip “Apart New Families” ....................................... 128
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VANCE’S CONTROVERSIAL FOREIGN POLICY RECORD .............................................. 129
VANCE CRITICIZED THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR THE AIRSTRIKE THAT
KILLED QASEM SOLEIMANI ............................................................................................ 129
In 2020, Vance Criticized President Trump’s Airstrike Killing Iranian General Qasem
Soleimani, Worrying It Would Continue To Bog Down America In The Middle East To
The Advantage Of China .................................................................................................... 129
Vance Suggested That The Country Had Been Entangled In Wars In The Middle East So
“Financial Elites” Could Profit From The Rise Of China .................................................. 129
VANCE HAS MADE CONTROVERSIAL REMARKS CONCERNING CHINESE
PATRIOTISM......................................................................................................................... 130
Vance Previously Claimed That Chinese Nationals Were More Patriotic Than U.S.
Nationals ............................................................................................................................. 130
VANCE APPEARS TO HAVE FLIP-FLOPPED ON HIS SUPPORT FOR THE IRAQ WAR
................................................................................................................................................. 130
In 2016, Vance Criticized The Iraq War And Jeb Bush For Continuing To Defend The War
............................................................................................................................................. 130
However, Vance Previously Noted He Supported The Invasion Of Iraq ........................... 131
Additionally, Vance Was A Reporter For The U.S. Department Of Defense And Reported
Successes In Iraq ................................................................................................................. 132
In Early 2017, Vance Has Criticized “Never-Ending Commitment” To Iraq While Calling
For “Some Sort Of Happy Median” Going Forward Under Trump ................................... 132
VANCE APPEARS TO HAVE EMBRACED NON-INTERVENTIONISM ....................... 133
Vance Has Called For A More Non-Interventionist Foreign Policy .................................. 133
VANCE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE CHIEF OBSTRUCTIONISTS TO U.S. EFFORTS TO
PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO UKRAINE ........................................................................ 134
According To The Associated Press, Vance Expressed His Opposition To Ukraine Funding
By Stating “The Problem In Ukraine … Is That There’s No Clear End Point” ................. 134
Vance Claimed Ukraine Funding Will “Not Going To Fundamentally Change The Reality
On The Battlefield” ............................................................................................................. 134
Vance Supports “Negotiated Peace” Between Russia And Ukraine .................................. 134
Vance Published A Press Release Describing Ukraine Aid Legislation As A “‘Ukraine
First’ Foreign Aid Package” ............................................................................................... 135
In 2023, Vance Signed Onto A Letter To The Director Of The Office Of Management And
Budget Calling For Details On Ukraine Spending ............................................................. 137
Recently, Vance Stated He Opposed Ukraine Funding In Order To Protect Donald Trump
From Potential Future Impeachment .................................................................................. 139
VANCE’S NOTABLE VULNERABILITIES WITH MODERATES ...................................... 140
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VANCE HAS TAKEN A POPULIST VIEW ON GLOBAL FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS
................................................................................................................................................. 140
Vance Supports Trade Policies “Different” From Free Trade ............................................ 140
Vance Opposed Completely Unwinding Trade Agreements, Noting The “Factories Still
Aren’t Coming Back” ......................................................................................................... 140
Vance Has Criticized The Idea That Bad Trade Deals—Including With Countries Like
China—Were To Blame For Job Losses ............................................................................ 140
Vance: “It's Not That We Have This Terrible Trade Deal With China. It's Just That A Lot
Of Things ............................................................................................................................ 140
Vance Has Suggested That The Republican Party’s Support For Free Trade Is At Odds With
Its Working Class Base ....................................................................................................... 141
VANCE APPEARS TO HAVE ONCE CALLED FOR SLASHING SOCIAL SECURITY
AND MEDICARE .................................................................................................................. 141
Prior To Running For Office, Vance Wrote That He Would Support Dramatic Cuts To
Social Security And Supported A Plan That The AARP Warned Would “End Medicare As
We Know It” ....................................................................................................................... 141
VANCE IS OPPOSED TO PROVIDING CHILDCARE ASSISTANCE TO LOW INCOME
AMERICANS ......................................................................................................................... 145
Vance Opposed Biden’s Plan To Expand Child Care To Low- And Moderate-Income
Families ............................................................................................................................... 145
After His Wife Gave Birth To Their First Child, Vance Was Living In Columbus While His
Wife Lived In Washington, D.C. With Her Mother ........................................................... 146
Vance Supports Legislation To Expand Kinship Guardians In Ohio ................................. 146
VANCE APPEARS TO OPPOSE STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAMS ....... 147
Vance Criticized Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Proposals ............................................. 147
However, Vance Indicated Support For Hillary Clinton’s Free-College Plan ................... 147
VANCE IS OPPOSED TO EXPANDING HEALTHCARE ACCESS TO ALL AMERICANS
................................................................................................................................................. 147
Vance Criticized Medicare For All As A “Big Handout” To The Healthcare Sector ........ 147
VANCE EXPRESSED A SERIES OF CONTROVERSIAL VIEWS DURING THE COVID
PANDEMIC ............................................................................................................................ 147
Vance Criticized Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer For Allowing Abortion Clinics To
Stay Open Under Her COVID-19 Lockdown Order .......................................................... 147
Vance Criticized Public Health Experts And Elected Officials For Supporting Black Lives
Matter Protests While Condemning Anti-Lockdown Protests............................................ 148
VANCE SUPPORTS PLACING RESTRICTIONS ON ABORTION ACCESS .................. 149
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Vance Supported Georgia’s Heartbeat Bill ......................................................................... 149
Vance Opposes Third-Trimester Abortions ........................................................................ 149
Vance Has Stated He Does Not Support Abortion Exceptions In The Case Of Rape........ 150
Vance Is Noted As Having Expressed That Divorce Is Too Common And That Women In
Violent Marriage Should Stay In Them For The Sake Of Their Children ......................... 151
VANCE HAS EXPRESSED CONTROVERSIAL VIEWS CONCERNING AMERICAN
UNIVERSITIES ..................................................................................................................... 154
Vance Accused Chinese Graduate Students Of “Conspir[ing] To Steal Our Intellectual
Property” ............................................................................................................................. 154
Vance Called For Penalizing Universities That Accept Donations From Foreign Counties
............................................................................................................................................. 154
In 2023, Vance Posted To Twitter Stating “The Anti-Whiteness Movement, Mainstreamed
By American Universities And Corporations, Has Blood On Its Hands” .......................... 154
VANCE HAS PUSHED PSEUDO-CHRISTIAN VALUES ENCOURAGING THE
TRADITIONAL NUCLEAR FAMILY ................................................................................. 155
Vance Has Called For Policies To Encourage Families To Have More Children ............. 155
VANCE APPEARS TO SUPPORT LAWS REQUIRING BUSINESSES TO CLOSE ON
SUNDAYS .............................................................................................................................. 156
Vance Seemingly Supports “Blue Laws,” Requiring Businesses To Close On Sundays ... 156
VANCE APPEARS TO OPPOSE THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA .................... 156
Vance Has Criticized Marijuana Legalization .................................................................... 156
However, Vance Previously Called On Republicans To “Get Serious” About The
Punishment Of Black Fathers For Marijuana Possession ................................................... 156
VANCE PUSHED TRUMP TO NOMINATE CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE BRETT
KAVANAUGH TO THE SUPREME COURT ..................................................................... 157
Vance Wrote An Op-Ed In The Wall Street Journal Urging Trump To Select Brett
Kavanaugh For The Supreme Court ................................................................................... 157
Vance Signed A Public Letter Praising Brett Kavanaugh’s Nomination To The Supreme
Court ................................................................................................................................... 158
Vance Said That Kavanaugh’s Views On Constitutional Interpretation Were More
Important Than His Views On Specific Policy Issues ........................................................ 159
Vance Praised Kavanaugh’s Teaching Abilities And Predicted They Would Make Him A
Good Supreme Court Justice .............................................................................................. 160
Vance Defended Kavanaugh And His Supporters During The Confirmation Hearings .... 160
Usha Vance Clerked For Kavanaugh .................................................................................. 161
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Notably, Vance Has Complained The Conservative Legal Movement Had Betrayed Social
Conservatives After A SCOTUS Ruling Against LGBT Workplace Discrimination ........ 161
VANCE HAS TAKEN A SERIES OF CONTROVERSIAL POSITIONS CONCERNING
RACE RELATIONS ............................................................................................................... 162
Vance Claimed The Protests Against Police Violence Following The Death Of George
Floyd Were Distractions From More Important Economic Issues ..................................... 162
Vance Has Been Accused Of Echoing White Supremacists With His Worries About
America’s Low Fertility Rate ............................................................................................. 163
A Separate Washington Post Op-Ed Attacked Vance For Alleged Comments Supporting
Benefits To “Our People” ................................................................................................... 164
VANCE HAS A TAKEN A SERIES OF OTHER CONTROVERSIAL POSITIONS ON
VARIOUS CULTURE WAR TOPICS .................................................................................. 164
Vance Criticized Prince Harry And Meghan Markle For “Complaining” Instead Of Having
“Gratitude” For Their Privilege .......................................................................................... 164
Vance Said Trump’s Fight With The NFL Over Kneeling Was A Political Win For Trump
............................................................................................................................................. 165
VANCE HAS TIES TO VARIOUS CONTROVERSIAL FIGURES ................................... 166
Steve Bannon Once Called For Vance To Become Head Of The Heritage Foundation .... 166
Vance Appears To Have Ties To Alex Jones ..................................................................... 166
VANCE’S ADDITIONAL PERSONAL AND POLITICAL FOIBLES ................................... 166
VANCE’S ‘OUR OHIO RENEWAL’ HAS BEEN HEAVILY SCRUTINIZED BY CRITICS
................................................................................................................................................. 166
Vance Founded Our Ohio Renewal – A Non-Profit With The Goal Of Combatting The
Opioid Epidemic And Improving Opportunity In Ohio ..................................................... 166
In 2019, Vance Maintained That Our Ohio Renewal Was Still Operational – Despite Its
Website Being Offline – And Said It Was Sponsoring A Residency For A Researcher In
Southern Ohio ..................................................................................................................... 169
Despite Its Stated Goals, Our Ohio Renewal Spent More Than 95 Percent Of Its 2017
Fundraising ......................................................................................................................... 171
Our Ohio Renewal Appears To Have Been Largely Defunct Since 2017 .......................... 171
Our Ohio Renewal Has A Sister Organization Which Has Never Raised More Than $50,000
In A Year............................................................................................................................. 171
Our Ohio Renewal Was Run By Both A Longtime Republican And A Friend Of Vance
Who Is Progressive ............................................................................................................. 171
VANCE’S TIME WORKING WITH ‘REVOLUTION LLC’ CREATES A SERIES OF
NOTABLE VULNERABILITIES WITH AMERICA-FIRST CONSERVATIVES............. 172
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Vance Worked At Revolution LLC, A Firm Founded By Steve Case, The Founder Of AOL
............................................................................................................................................. 172
Steve Case Was A Vocal Supporter Of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Campaign ........................ 173
Revolution Backed A Company Invested In By Former Democratic Presidential Candidate
John Delaney ....................................................................................................................... 173
Vance Was A Co-Worker Of Ron Klain, President Joe Biden’s Chief Of Staff ................ 174
Shortly After Vance Was Hired By Revolution, Case Came Out Against President Trump’s
Immigration Policies ........................................................................................................... 174
While Vance Was Employed By Revolution, Case Met With Trump ............................... 175
Revolution Backed DraftKings Which Operates Sports Gambling .................................... 175
Steve Case Sold His Virginia Home To Saudi Arabia For $43 Million ............................. 176
Case Was Part Of A Global Advisory Board For A Tourism Destination In Saudi Arabia
But Backed Out After The Killing Of Jamal Khashoggi .................................................... 176
VANCE WAS ALSO INVOLVED WITH STEVE CASE’S ‘RISE OF THE REST’ FUND –
ANOTHER CONTROVERSIAL ROLE ................................................................................ 177
Vance Was Part Of Steve Case’s Rise Of The Rest – An Initiative Backed By Wealthy Tech
Investors .............................................................................................................................. 177
Rise Of The Rest Invested In A Startup Founded By A Former Obama Official .............. 179
Rise Of The Rest Invested In Gig Wage, A Company That Assists With Moving Money
Within The Gig Economy ................................................................................................... 179
Vance And Rise Of The Rest Invested In Various Companies Across The Country ......... 180
VANCE APPEARS TO HAVE ENJOYED A LUXURIOUS LIFESTYLE SINCE
BECOMING A PUBLISHED AUTHOR SEVERAL YEARS AGO .................................... 183
Since Publishing His Book, Vance Has Enjoyed Luxury Accommodations...................... 183
Vance Admits To Being A Member Of The Elite .............................................................. 183
Hypocritically, Vance Has Utilized Class-Based Politics .................................................. 183
VULNERABILITIES STEMMING FROM HILLBILLY ELEGY....................................... 184
Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy Received Steady Criticism ........................................................... 184
VANCE’S TIES TO CIRCUIT THERAPEUTICS COULD CREATE VULNERABILITIES
................................................................................................................................................. 188
Vance Worked For A Biotechnology Company That Received Federal Contracts ........... 188
VANCE’S TIES TO INNOVATE OHIO COULD CREATE VULNERABILITIES ........... 188
Vance Served On The Advisory Board Of InnovateOhio .................................................. 188
VANCE’S TIES TO LED COULD CREATE VULNERABILITIES ................................... 189
Vance Invested In An LED Greenhouse Project ................................................................ 189
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VANCE’S TIES TO MITHRIL CAPITAL COULD CREATE VULNERABILITIES ........ 189
After Law School, Vance Worked At A Law Firm And Then Became An Executive At A
Biotech Company. From There, He Left To Join Mithril Capital, An Investment Firm .... 189
The FBI Probed Mithril Capital, Vance’s Former Employer, Over Possible Financial
Misconduct .......................................................................................................................... 190
VANCE’S TIES TO NARYA CAPITAL COULD CREATE VULNERABILITIES ........... 190
In 2020, Vance Started An Ohio-Based Venture Capital Fund – Narya Capital – With
Backers Including Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen And Eric Schmidt ................................. 190
One Of The Founding Partners Of Narya Was Falon Donohue, The Former CEO Of
VentureOhio ........................................................................................................................ 191
Narya Capital Invested In AcreTrader ................................................................................ 191
Vance And Narya Are Investors In Appharvest - A Startup Growing Produce In
Greenhouses In Appalachia ................................................................................................ 191
Narya Capital Invested In Kriya Therapeutics, A Company Located In The Bay Area Of
California And The Research Triangle Park In North Carolina ......................................... 193
Parler Attempted To Raise Capital From Narya Capital .................................................... 193
APPENDIX A: ISSUES OF NOTE (BY SUBJECT AREA) ..................................................... 194
FISCAL AND ECONOMIC ................................................................................................... 194
Overall – Commentary And Philosophy ............................................................................. 194
Taxes ................................................................................................................................... 199
Tax Cuts .............................................................................................................................. 200
Federal Funding .................................................................................................................. 201
Subsidies ............................................................................................................................. 205
Labor ................................................................................................................................... 205
Miscellaneous ..................................................................................................................... 207
HEALTHCARE ...................................................................................................................... 210
Obamacare .......................................................................................................................... 210
COVID-19........................................................................................................................... 214
ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................................... 214
Climate Change – Commentary .......................................................................................... 214
EDUCATION ......................................................................................................................... 215
School Choice ..................................................................................................................... 215
IMMIGRATION, PUBLIC SAFETY, CRIMINAL JUSTICE .............................................. 216
Immigration......................................................................................................................... 216
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D.C. Criminal Code ............................................................................................................ 219
Miscellaneous – Crime ....................................................................................................... 220
FOREIGN POLICY AND DEFENSE.................................................................................... 220
Overall................................................................................................................................. 220
Ukraine-Russia Conflict...................................................................................................... 221
Trump - Soleimani .............................................................................................................. 228
Iraq ...................................................................................................................................... 229
Israel .................................................................................................................................... 231
China ................................................................................................................................... 232
Ireland ................................................................................................................................. 232
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES .................................................................................... 233
Abortion .............................................................................................................................. 233
Race..................................................................................................................................... 238
Religion ............................................................................................................................... 238
POLITICAL ............................................................................................................................ 239
Trump .................................................................................................................................. 239
Republican Politicians – Notable Affiliations .................................................................... 253
Liberal Politicians – Notable Affiliations ........................................................................... 254
GOP Donors – Commentary ............................................................................................... 258
Libertarians – Commentary ................................................................................................ 261
Conservative Media – Commentary ................................................................................... 261
Campaign Notes - 2018 Campaign ..................................................................................... 262
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL .................................................................................... 265
Legal Career Notes ............................................................................................................. 265
Notable Residency History ................................................................................................. 269
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EXECUTIVE SYNOPSIS
DOSSIER NOTES
In preparing this background report, we undertook an examination of all readily available and
relevant electronic and online records, several hundred Nexis and news articles, dozens of active
and archived web pages, and several dozen public records from Nexis and the resources of
various federal, state, and municipal government offices. The results of our analysis are
contained below.
Typographical Note: There are a number of articles quoted in this report that contain
typographical errors. These are from the original text of the article and have not been corrected
when being quoted directly.
POTENTIAL VULNERABILITIES
Potential Opposition Narrative - Anti-Trump Record And Establishment Ties
JD Vance's political journey has been marked by notable shifts and contradictions, making his
stance on Donald Trump a subject of intrigue and critique.
During the 2016 election, Vance openly opposed Trump, announcing his intention to vote third
party and expressing doubt about Trump's effectiveness. His critical views extended to likening
Trump to heroin and dismissing the ‘MAGA’ movement as a ‘quick high.’ Described as a 'never
Trumper,' Vance declared his opposition on public platforms, asserting that Trump was not the
ideal candidate for white-working class voters. In 2016, Vance aligned himself with Trump's
accusers, tweeting about allegations of sexual assault and implying a skepticism of Trump's
honesty. He connected racism and xenophobia to Trump's base of support, emphasizing racial
resentment among Trump's followers.
Vance's association with the American Enterprise Institute, an organization critical of Trump,
adds another layer to his political affiliations. As a former writer for FrumForum, run by known
'never Trumper' David Frum, Vance's connections to Trump-antagonists become more apparent.
Despite initial moderate Republican and Democratic tendencies, Vance shifted his stance,
actively supporting Trump's policies and encouraging votes for him in the 2020 election.
Vance's political evolution raises questions about the consistency of his views and the influences
shaping his positions.
Potential Opposition Narrative - Questionable Conservatism
JD Vance's political views display a nuanced landscape, revealing a range of positions that
traverse traditional party lines. While acknowledging the benefits of certain Democratic policies
for working-class Americans, Vance has been notably critical of aspects of the Trump
Administration's agenda. His skepticism extends to Trump's core domestic policy priorities,
expressing doubts about their effectiveness and seriousness in moving the country forward.
Vance diverged from Republican orthodoxy by criticizing the 2017 tax cuts bill and supporting
higher taxes on capital gains, U.S. businesses, and individuals without children.
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In a departure from conservative economic principles, Vance has questioned the emphasis on
America's businesses, criticizing corporate interests and economic incentives for company
relocations. He has signaled support for strengthening labor unions, opposing right-to-work laws,
and advocating for reforms like sectoral bargaining and labor representation on corporate boards.
This stands in contrast to traditional free-market priorities, with Vance opposing Milton
Friedman-backed policies and emphasizing the nuclear family over free-market principles.
Vance's stances on healthcare reveal further deviations from the conservative playbook, as he
opposed the Trump Administration's efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare. Expressing
concern for those potentially losing access to healthcare, Vance urged against Medicaid cuts.On
environmental issues, Vance acknowledges climate concerns and dismisses the return of coal
jobs.
Vance also is known to have criticized Trump's border wall proposal and travel ban. He
attributes the border crisis to business interests seeking cheap labor, aligning with Trump's
rhetoric but diverging on some points.
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TOP HITS
Political
Voting History & Party Affiliation
• Since 2018, Vance has failed to vote in at least four elections including the 2020 primary
elections.
• Vance was not a registered Republican Party voter in Hamilton County between
September 2018 and May 2022.
Lobbying Ties
• While not a lobbyist himself, Vance’s old law firm, Sidley Austin, lobbied on behalf of
several controversial clients during his tenure with the company.
o Between 2014 and 2015, Sidley Austin lobbied on behalf of Purdue Pharma, the
maker of OxyContin, who has paid billions of dollars in criminal and civil
penalties related to the opioid epidemic.
o Between 2014 and 2015, Sidley Austin lobbied on behalf of multiple Chinese
Communist Party-affiliated companies including Alibaba and Kaisa Group.
▪ In 2020, Alibaba, is a Chinese company which operates e-commerce
platforms, was named by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a company
Pompeo urged American companies to remove from their digital
networks.
▪ Kaisa Group is a Chinese real estate firm that was probed over alleged
links to a former state official involved in a graft investigation.
Anti-Trump Record And Establishment Ties
2016 Campaign
• Vance was opposed to Trump’s candidacy during the 2016 election.
o As early as august 2016, Vance had announced his intention to vote third party as
opposed to voting for Trump.
o Vance was accused of “effectively” voting for Hillary Clinton.
o During the campaign and after the election, Vance doubted Trump’s ability to be
effective in office.
o Vance criticized Trump’s statements and policy proposals.
o Vance said Trump’s election would be “terrible for the country”.
o Vance compared Trump to heroin and mocked MAGA as a “quick high”.
• During the 2016 campaign, Vance was described as a ‘never Trumper’.
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o In an October 2016 appearance on “The Charlie Rose Show,” Vance declared he
was “a never Trump guy” and “never liked him”.
o Vance claimed there was a “willingness from people who think a lot like I do” to
say Trump was “going to be a terrible candidate” and “that you were an idiot if
you voted for him”.
o Vance said Trump was not the best candidate for white-working class voters.
• During the 2016 campaign, Vance indicated he believed the women who accused Trump
of sexual assault.
o In 2016, Vance indicated he believed one of Trump’s sexual-assault accusers over
Trump and mocked Trump for not telling the truth.
o In 2016, it was reported that Vance tweeted “what percentage of the American
population has @RealDonaldTrump sexually assaulted?”
• During the 2016 campaign, Vance linked racism and xenophobia to Trump’s base of
support.
o In 2016, Vance said people who “might be described as if not as racist at least as
expressing some sort of racial resentment” were supporting Trump.
o In 2016, Vance said, “there are people who are drawn to Trump because he says
racially insensitive things”.
o In 2018, Vance was still an opponent of Trump, citing his race-related policies.
• Vance has suggested there was no sign of voter fraud in the 2016 election.
General Criticism
• Vance once implied that Trump is prone to lying.
o In 2017, Vance criticized Trump for saying “half-truths or lies” so frequently
“that you stop actually taking the president literally.
• Vance appeared to be critical of Trump’s comments surrounding the events in
Charlottesville.
o Following the Charlottesville protests, Vance said Trump “really missed an
opportunity to name this phenomenon and gives people a sense where it comes
from and show the moral leadership people want from a president”.
o Vance said Trump was “ambivalent or too cautious about coming out and
criticizing” racism and Nazism.
o Vance said Trump failing to unite the country following Charlottesville was a
“missed opportunity”.
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• Early in the Trump Administration, Vance indicated Trump was failing on his legislative
priorities.
o In 2017, Vance said, “I think you hear from a lot of different people if you’re on
the ground in these areas talking to people is a broad recognition that things aren’t
going fantastically well right now” regarding Trump’s legislative priorities.
o Vance: “A bigger problem, I think, is the feeling that the big pushes that the
president has really made on health care, on some of these other issues, haven’t
really materialized”.
o Vance noted there was a “sense that the President just isn’t able to deliver”.
2020 Election
• Vance, at times, appeared dismissive of efforts to highlight fraud in the 2020 election.
o After the 2020 election, Vance said people questioning the 2020 election results
would not become violent and also said Biden would be inaugurated.
Additional Anti-Trump Ties
• Vance served with the American Enterprise Institute – an organization with ties to Trump
criticism.
• Vance is an alum of the website formerly run by David Frum - a known never Trumper .
• Vance has ties to various additional Trump-antagonists.
o Vance has said he is “good friends” with Mike DeWine.
o Vance has previous ties to notorious Trump critic John Kasich.
o Vance previously supported notorious Trump critic John McCain.
Liberal Tendencies And Ties
• Vance has been previously described as a moderate with Democrat tendencies.
o In 2016, Vance said, “I’m frankly not a libertarian in the sense that I think
government has no role in fixing” societal problems.
o In 2017, the American Prospect’s Robert Kuttner said that at a recent conference
he attended with Vance, Vance “sounded almost like a Democrat”.
o In 2017, Vance was described as a “moderate Republican”.
• Vance previously heaped praise upon Hillary Clinton.
o Vance praised the 2016 Democratic National Convention while criticizing the
Republican Convention.
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o Vance said there was a chance he would vote for Clinton if Trump had a chance
to win.
o In an op-ed, Vance recalled a time in his life when he “admired President
Clinton”.
• Vance has previously heaped praise upon Barack Obama.
o Vance has praised Obama for offering “hope” and said he would “miss him” as
Obama was leaving office.
o Vance characterized Obama’s “guns and religion” comment as “well-
intentioned”.
• Vance has praised democratic-socialist Bernie Sanders.
o Vance said Bernie Sanders was his favorite Democrat running in the 2020
Democrat primary.
o Vance predicted that Trump was part of a political realignment that would
position Trump and Bernie Sanders on the same side in 20 years.
Biden-2016 Comment
• Vance appears to have once indicated that Joe Biden could have beat Trump in 2016.
Current
• Following the end of Trump’s Presidency, Vance praised Trump’s policy and was an
active supporter of his 2020 re-election.
o Vance in 2021: I “ultimately pulled the trigger and encouraged a lot of my friends
to … pull the lever for Donald Trump in 2020”.
o Vance: “I was really happy with the policy. And so, that’s what caused me to
become a Trump supporter”.
o Vance has attacked Trump’s ban from social media outlets.
o Vance blasted calls from Democrats to hold former Trump Administration
officials accountable after he left office.
Questionable Conservatism
Overall – Economic, Societal
• Vance once admitted that working class Americans benefit from Democrat-policies.
• Vance once criticized Trump’s “core domestic policy priorities”.
o In 2017, Vance reflected on Trump’s “core domestic policy priorities,” claiming it
was “not looking especially good right now”.
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o Vance: “I just don't see the evidence that we're being serious about the policies
that are necessary to move the country forward yet”.
Fiscal And Business
• Vance was critical of the Trump Administration’s 2017 Tax Cuts Bill.
o In 2018, Vance criticized republicans for living in the 1980s with the party’s tax
and health care reform policies.
o Vance criticized republicans for cutting taxes for the wealthy and cutting the
social safety net.
o In 2019, Vance criticized the 2017 tax reform law as “ok, it wasn’t terrible, but it
wasn’t great”.
o It should be noted that Vance was also critical of the Bush-era tax cuts.
• Vance has expressed support for increasing the capital gains tax rate.
• Vance has called to raise taxes on U.S. businesses in certain circumstances.
• Vance appears to support higher taxes for individuals without children.
• Vance has somewhat flip-flopped on cuts to the federal budget.
o In 2017, Vance warned that GOP budget cuts were evidence that Trump and
Republicans in Congress were not focused on “core constituencies”.
o In 2017, Vance noted he supports using government spending to solve social
problems.
o However, Vance supported the 2011 Ryan budget.
• Vance has previously signaled support for distorting the free-market with federal
subsidies.
• Vance has questioned conservatives prioritizing America’s businesses.
o Vance previously criticized conservatives for prizing corporate interests.
o Vance criticized the practice of offering economic incentives to companies to
relocate.
• Vance has indicated he supported union priorities over that of American business.
o Vance previously indicated he opposes right-to-work laws.
o Vance has criticized GOP donors for pushing antagonism toward unions.
o Vance signed onto a report calling for reforms to greatly strengthen labor unions.
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o Vance and other signers of the report called for conservatives to consider allowing
sectoral bargaining, works councils, and requiring seats for labor representatives
on corporate boards.
• Vance has been critical of free-market economic priority.
o Vance opposes Milton Friedman-backed economic policies.
o Vance has called for prioritizing the American “nuclear family” over free market
principles.
• Vance worked as a contributor for a think tank that expressed skepticism of Trump’s
America First trade agenda.
• Early during the Trump Administration, Vance questioned whether Trump should be
credited for the booming economy.
• Opponents could suggest Vance is hypocritical for his criticism of ‘big tech’.
Healthcare
• Vance opposed the Trump Administration’s efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare.
o In 2017, Vance criticized Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare
under President Trump, claiming he doesn’t “love the plan at all”.
o Vance warned that the people who would “lose out most” in the GOP-led
Obamacare replacement bill are the ones who voted for Donald Trump.
o Vance: “Those folks, they very well see their deductibles go up, their premiums
go up. … there's obviously a significant issue of folks potentially losing access to
their health care”.
o Vance claimed “folks back home” were worried about the GOP-led Obamacare
reforms and “about losing the Medicaid expansion and most worried about losing
their health care”.
o Vance warned that the bill suffered from “core deficiencies,” claiming “millions
of people” were “losing health coverage either through Medicaid or through
another mechanism”.
o Vance urged Sen. Rob Portman to vote against the House-passed bill to repeal and
replace Obamacare due to its Medicaid cuts and tax cuts.
o Vance: “I don’t understand why that is such a focus of the House Bill. … don’t
have a health bill and use it to cut taxes”.
Education And Environmental
• Vance has previously indicated some hesitation concerning school choice initiatives.
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• Vance has expressed support for aspects of the left’s extremist climate agenda.
o Vance previously suggested the U.S. has “a climate problem”.
o Vance previously acknowledged that coal jobs are not coming back.
o Vance previously said natural gas would not take us to a clean energy future.
Immigration
• Vance was critical of Trump’s suggestion to build a U.S. southern border wall.
• Vance was critical of Trump’s proposed travel ban.
• Vance previously blamed U.S. businesses on the border crisis.
o In march 2021, Vance wrote that the “masters of the universe” and the need for
“cheap foreign labor” resulted in the border crisis.
o Vance said illegal immigration is “about money” and cheap labor for business
leaders.
o Vance said “we should take a page from President Trump's playbook and call this
what it is” despite accusations from some that it is racist to criticize Biden’s
immigration policies.
Social And Cultural Issues
• Vance has previously taken positions that undermine the religious-right.
o Vance attacked 2012 GOP candidates for missing “the mark” on evolution.
o Vance criticized GOP presidential candidates opposed to the Federal Marriage
Amendment, which he said would rip “apart new families”.
Foreign Policy
• Vance criticized the Trump administration for the airstrike that killed Qasem Soleimani.
o In 2020, Vance criticized President Trump’s airstrike killing Iranian General
Qasem Soleimani, worrying it would continue to bog down America in the
Middle East to the advantage of China.
o Vance suggested that the country had been entangled in wars in the Middle East
so “financial elites” could profit from the rise of China.
• Vance has made controversial remarks concerning Chinese patriotism.
o Vance previously claimed that Chinese nationals were more patriotic than U.S.
nationals.
• Vance appears to have flip-flopped on his support for the Iraq war.
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• Vance appears to have embraced non-interventionism.
• Vance has been one of the chief obstructionists to U.S. efforts to providing assistance to
Ukraine.
Notable Vulnerabilities With Moderates
Policy
• Vance has taken a populist view on global free trade agreements.
o Vance supports trade policies “different” from free trade.
o Vance opposed completely unwinding trade agreements, noting the “factories still
aren’t coming back”.
o Vance has criticized the idea that bad trade deals—including with countries like
China—were to blame for job losses.
o Vance: “It's not that we have this terrible trade deal with China. It's just that a lot
of things.
• Vance appears to have once called for slashing Social Security and Medicare.
• Vance is opposed to providing childcare assistance to low income Americans.
o Vance opposed Biden’s plan to expand child care to low- and moderate-income
families.
o After his wife gave birth to their first child, Vance was living in Columbus while
his wife lived in Washington, D.C. with her mother.
• Vance appears to oppose student loan forgiveness programs.
o Vance criticized student loan debt forgiveness proposals.
o However, Vance indicated support for Hillary Clinton’s free-college plan.
• Vance is opposed to expanding healthcare access to all Americans.
• Vance expressed a series of controversial views during the Covid pandemic.
o Vance criticized Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer for allowing abortion
clinics to stay open under her Covid-19 lockdown order.
o Vance criticized public health experts and elected officials for supporting Black
Lives Matter protests while condemning anti-lockdown protests.
• Vance supports placing restrictions on abortion access.
o Vance supported Georgia’s Heartbeat Bill.
o Vance opposes third-trimester abortions.
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o Vance has stated he does not support abortion exceptions in the case of rape.
Social And Cultural Issues
• Vance has expressed controversial views concerning American universities.
• Vance has pushed pseudo-Christian values encouraging the traditional nuclear family.
• Vance appears to support laws requiring businesses to close on Sundays.
• Vance appears to oppose the legalization of marijuana.
• Vance pushed Trump to nominate controversial figure Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme
Court.
• Vance has taken a series of controversial positions concerning race relations.
• Vance has a taken a series of other controversial positions on various culture war topics.
o Vance criticized Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for “complaining” instead of
having “gratitude” for their privilege.
o Vance said Trump’s fight with the NFL over kneeling was a political win for
Trump.
• Vance has ties to various controversial figures.
o Steve Bannon once called for Vance to become head of the Heritage Foundation.
o Vance appears to have ties to Alex Jones.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
PERSONAL INFORMATION: J.D. VANCE
Full Name:
James David “J.D.” Vance
Formerly: James Donald Bowman
DOB:
August 2, 1984 (39)
Social Security:
288-84-XXXX
Home Address:
1858 William Howard Taft Road
Cincinnati, OH 45206
Hamilton County
(2018-Pres.)
Additional Property: 1305 C Street NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
(2014-Pres.)
Marital Status: Married
Partner:
Usha Bala Vance (née Chilukuri)
DOB: January 6, 1986 (38)
Children: Three
Voter Registration: Registered Republican – Hamilton County, Ohio
Education:
2010 – 2013 J.D., Yale Law School
2007 – 2009 B.A., Political Science & Philosophy, Ohio State
University
Employment:
2023 – Pres. Senator, U.S. Senate, Ohio
2019 – 2023 Co-Founder/Parter, Narya
2017 – 2019 Partner, Revolution LLC (Rise of the Rest)
2016 – 2017 Principal, Mithril Capital
2013 – 2015 Attorney, Sidley Austin LLP
2003 – 2007 Marine, U.S. Marine Corps
Associations:
Former Editor, Yale Law Journal
Former President, Yale Law Veterans Association
Military Service: 2003 – 2007 U.S. Marine Corps
https://jdvance.com/about/
https://www.vance.senate.gov/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._D._Vance
https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/j-d-vance
https://ballotpedia.org/J.D._Vance
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/201794/jd-vance
https://www.facebook.com/jd.vance84
https://www.facebook.com/people/JD-Vance/100070055152736
https://www.facebook.com/senatorvance
https://twitter.com/JDVance1
https://www.instagram.com/jd_vance432/
https://www.instagram.com/teamjdvance
https://www.instagram.com/senatorvance/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCluFPcbaS6JIh-JW7uaVG4A
https://www.youtube.com/@senatorjdvance
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jd-vance-770a9047/
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Election Results:
2022 U.S. Senate, Ohio (General, Won)
Web Sites:
https://jdvance.com/
https://www.vance.senate.gov/
https://en.wikipedia.org/
https://www.harpercollins.com/
https://ballotpedia.org/
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/
Social Media:
Facebook (Personal)
Facebook (Campaign)
Facebook (Official)
Twitter (Campaign)
Instagram (Personal)
Instagram (Campaign)
Instagram (Official)
YouTube (Campaign)
YouTube (Official)
LinkedIn (Personal)
Email:
JHAMEL@TEJATC.ORG
Phone:
(443) 618-8543
https://www.fec.gov/introduction-campaign-finance/election-and-voting-information/
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ELECTION RESULTS
J.D. Vance has been serving in the U.S. Senate from Ohio since winning his 2022 campaign.
2022 General Election, U.S. Senate, Ohio
General Election Results (November 8, 2022)
Candidate
Party
Vote Total
J.D. Vance
REP
2,192,114
Tim Ryan
DEM
1,939,489
(Official Election Results, Federal Election Commission, 11/8/22)
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
Since 2023, J.D. Vance has received an aggregate of $1,574,894.48 in total contributions for his
re-election campaign. Vance transferred more than $160,000 from his fundraising committee
and has also received hundreds of thousands of dollars from special interest groups including
the National Association of Convenience Stores and the National Automobile Dealers
Association. Vance has also received funding from corporations such as SpaceX, Honeywell, and
Comcast. It should also be noted that Vance has accepted funding from Republican PACs and
groups who may be considered out-of-touch with the current party, like Mitch McConnell and
the Susan B. Anthony List. Further, Vance has begun to pay himself back for the loans he gave to
his 2022 campaign, disbursing $700,000 in 2022 and an additional $614,500 in 2023.
In 2022, Vance received an aggregate of $15,994,977.29 in total contributions for his campaign
for the U.S. Senate. Vance personally loaned his campaign $1.4 million and received similarly
large contributions from Republican-aligned committees including the RNC, the NRSC, and the
Republican Jewish Coalition. Vance additionally received large contributions from corporations
such as Altria, Nextera, and Marathon Petroleum. Of note, Vance received funding from
establishment PACs and groups such as Koch Industries, as well as the leadership PACs of Roy
Blunt, Lindsey Graham, and Mike Huckabee. It should also be noted that Vance has received
thousands of dollars from individuals with a history of anti-Trump rhetoric like Ken Griffen and
Paul Singer.
Individually, Vance has contributed an aggregate of $15,325 to federal and statewide campaign
committees. Federally, Vance contributed $11,255, giving to various Republicans from Ohio
including Rob Portman and Max Miller, as well as other prominent Republicans across the
country such as Blake Masters and Joe Kent. At the state level, Vance has contributed $4,100 to
campaign committees in the state of Ohio, giving it entirely to Sharon Kennedy’s campaign for
the Ohio Supreme Court.
https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/S2OH00436/?cycle=2028&election_full=true
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JD Vance For Senate (2028)
Notable Contributions
Since 2023, Vance Has Received An Aggregate Of $1,574,894.48 In Total Contributions For
His Campaign For U.S. Senate. (Federal Election Commission, Accessed 2/23/24)
Recipient
Aggregate Amount YTD
VANCE VICTORY
$160,426.51
OHIOANS FOR JD
$13,166.99
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONVENIENCE
STORES
$10,000.00
BOOTS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
$10,000.00
HILL, VERNON
$6,777.50
SORIANO, JOHN D.
$6,600.00
SAAD, HENRY B. MR.
$6,600.00
SAAD, MARA LETICA MRS.
$6,600.00
MOSING, GREG
$6,600.00
KAY, ALISON
$6,600.00
ARMSTRONG, BRIAN
$6,600.00
BAKER, DANIEL L. MR.
$6,600.00
WITKOFF, ZACHARY D.
$6,500.00
OUSTERHOUT, DOUGLAS
$6,000.00
DIXON, KENNETH
$6,000.00
KLEIN, RUSSELL B. MR.
$5,800.00
STEER PAC
$5,000.00
SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP.
PAC
$5,000.00
US ENERGY OF PAC (THE PAC OF AXPC)
$5,000.00
SCHNEIDER NATIONAL INC. TRANSPAC
$5,000.00
VERN POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
$5,000.00
TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION FEDERAL
PAC
$5,000.00
TZEDEK PAC
$5,000.00
STRATEGY PAC
$5,000.00
RECLAIM AMERICA PAC
$5,000.00
POLITICAL EDUCATION PATTERNS
$5,000.00
ROBICHAUD, KAREN A.
$5,000.00
NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE DEALERS
ASSOCIATION PAC
$5,000.00
R SENATE PAC
$5,000.00
NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION PAC
$5,000.00
REPUBLICAN MAJORITY FUND
$5,000.00
OBERHEIDEN, NICK MR.
$5,000.00
ROBINSON, ROBERT S. MR. SR.
$5,000.00
MORTGAGE BANKERS ASSOCIATION
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (MORPAC)
$5,000.00
NACD RESPONSIBLE DISTRIBUTION PAC
$5,000.00
LODGE, JOHN WILLIAM MR. III
$5,000.00
LETS GET TO WORK PAC
$5,000.00
MARSHA PAC
$5,000.00