For those familiar with Senator J.D. Vance, Donald Trump’s new vice-presidential pick, he is recognized as both ‘strong’ and ‘smart,’ according to a quick poll conducted by DailyMail.com.
However, for many, Vance remains an unfamiliar name.
In a word cloud generated from responses of 300 likely voters asked to share their views on the 39-year-old Ohio senator, ‘Don’t’ and ‘know’ were the most frequently used words.
Setting aside those who were unfamiliar with him, the feedback leaned positively, with words like ‘good’ and ‘leader’ surpassing more negative descriptors like ‘idiot’ or ‘asshole.’
Following Trump’s announcement on Monday, Democrats swiftly criticized the decision, labeling Vance as a replica of Trump who would dutifully carry out his directives. The results show both parties have an opportunity to shape perceptions of a figure still largely unknown outside Ohio and the MAGA community.
J.L. Partners asked 300 likely voters for their views on J.D. Vance after Trump picked him as his running mate. These results show the most prominent words after ‘don’t know’ was removed
Trump praised Vance’s tenacity when selecting him, emphasizing his commitment to upholding the U.S. Constitution.
And he cited his career as a Marine and his bestselling memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ as factors in the choice.
A little later Vance received a hero’s welcome when he appeared on the floor of the convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Our poll found that even some Democrats saw something to like in him.
‘He’s from a working class family,’ said a 19-year-old student from Wisconsin, who said she was planning to vote for President Joe Biden.
An independent said: ‘Vance is a modern Republican with more thoughtful positions than the old neo-cons and evangelicals.’
Overall, when asked what they thought of Trump’s pick, some 34 percent gave a positive response, 22 percent gave a negative response and 23 percent were neutral.
The results come with a warning: The poll of 300 likely voters offers only a rapid snapshot of attitudes immediately after the pick.
James Johnson, co-founder or J.L. Partners, said it still revealed that voters had a more complicated view of Vance than talking heads who wrote off the selection as a dud.
‘Far from being described as ‘MAGA’ or as some sort of fascist, Vance is viewed by those who know of him as a Republican senator who is smart, conservative and strong.
Donald Trump and J.D. Vance appeared together at the Republican National Convention on Monday night, hours after the former president picked him as his running mate
Trump is still little known outside political circles. When all the responses are included, ‘don’t know’ is the dominant answer
‘But the main impression is one of a shrug: the vast majority do not know who he is yet. You could read that two ways.’
That means that the Biden campaign has a chance to try to define him, he said.
‘Or perhaps – and I find this the more convincing argument based on the other findings in the poll – it is just not going to have an impact on the race either way.
‘Many voters views of Trump and Biden are made up and for those who are still undecided, it is big issues like the debates and the conduct of the candidates themselves which is going to make the difference come November.’
Democrats were quick to try to define him as a Trump enabler.
Vance has been a senator for two years and is still perhaps best known as the author of ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ his memoir of a tough upbringing in Ohio
Jen O’Malley Dillon, chair of the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign, attacked Vance’s record and said he had been picked because Trump knew he would do what Mike Pence balked at: ‘Bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda, even if it means breaking the law and no matter the harm to the American people.’
And several people in our poll echoed that thinking.
When asked what she didn’t like about Vance, the same 19-year-old student from Wisconsin highlighted some his hardline, conservative views.
‘His policies on Ukraine, abortion, climate change, etc,’ she said.
A 41-year-old risk adviser from Illinois, who voted Biden in 2020, said: ‘I think he’s an extremist and a racist even more so than Trump.’
Another said he was nothing but a ‘Trump apologist.’
Vance is due to deliver a convention speech on Wednesday, with Trump closing down the gathering on a day later.
