JD Vance VP Pick Questioned by Home State Newspaper

A newspaper in Ohio slammed Senator JD Vance after he was selected as Donald Trump's vice presidential nominee.

Vance was selected as Trump's vice president pick on Monday, ahead of the former president's confirmation as the Republican Party's official nominee for the 2024 election.

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that Vance has "championed the hardworking men and women of our country." He added that Vance would be focused on the people he "fought so brilliantly for," such as voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Minnesota.

But not everyone thinks Vance will have appeal outside of his home state of Ohio or beyond voters that already support Trump.

Writing in an op-ed in The Columbus Dispatch, columnist Jordan Barkin wrote that Vance only "appeals to the MAGA demographic that was going to vote for Trump anyway," owing to his views on abortion and his economic policies.

"Vance espouses a blend of economic populism that appeals to white working-class males," Barkin added.

The Ohio senator has long espoused the idea that Americans in economically struggling regions of the country should exercise willpower to improve their lives rather than rely on government programs.

He has also championed trade policies that align with Trump's "America First" vision. These include imposing tariffs on imports from China and other nations to promote U.S. manufacturing and protect American jobs.

Vance has opposed abortion rights, even in the case of incest or rape, only making an exception for when the mother's life is in danger.

"It's not whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term," he told an Ohio news outlet in 2021. "It's whether a child should be allowed to live, even though the circumstances of that child's birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society."

However, although some hardcore MAGA supporters may agree with Vance's stance, Barkin says this stance won't appeal to women or swing voters and, in turn, won't help Trump's chances of becoming president again.

"Women are not a focus of the Ohio senator," he wrote, adding that "many swing voters" disagree with his stance on abortion.

A poll released in May by the Pew Research Center of 8,709 adults found that "a clear majority of residents in the top swing state support abortions."

Barkin also questioned whether Vance even has much appeal in Ohio, a significant swing state in the election.

"J.D. Vance was born and raised in Middletown, and wrote a best-selling memoir 'Hillbilly Elegy' about growing up in blue collar, small town," Barkin wrote.

But Barkin said that "over half of Ohioans live in metropolitan areas and may not connect with Vance's views or perspective."

"Trump's presumptive running mate has a clear identity and strong MAGA ties. Whether this helps the Republican presidential ticket remains to be seen," Barkin concluded.

Newsweek reached out to representatives of JD Vance via email for comment.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie told ABC on Monday night that Trump chose Vance as his running mate because he is "trying to further solidify his base."

Recent polls have suggested that Trump's margin over President Joe Biden in the swing states is narrowing.

A Presidential Voting Intention poll of 3,601 swing state voters by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, conducted before the assassination attempt on the former president on Saturday, found that Trump's margins over Biden have narrowed since June in two key swing states: Florida and North Carolina.

Trump previously defeated Biden in both states in 2020, while he held a six-point lead over Biden in Florida in a Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll from that June.

However, he now only leads the current president by four points in Florida. The poll shows that 45 percent of participants plan to vote for Trump, compared to Biden's 41 percent.

Meanwhile, Trump's margin is also narrowing in North Carolina, where he had a three-point lead over Biden in June. According to Redfield & Wilton Strategies' poll, his lead was slashed to only two points, with 44 percent of those polled saying they would vote for Trump, compared to Biden's 42 percent.

However, polls published after the assassination attempt also suggest his support base is not getting any larger.

A poll conducted by Morning Consult of 2,045 registered voters on Monday revealed that Trump is leading Biden by just one percentage point, 46 percent, compared to the president's 45 percent. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.

The findings also reveal that Trump's lead has narrowed slightly since the firm's previous survey, conducted between July 12 and 14, which put Trump two percentage points ahead with 44 percent to Biden's 42 percent.

In the week before the shooting, national polls had Trump as the favorite to win the White House, leading narrowly in the six key battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.