James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman; August 2, 1984) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Ohio since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he came to prominence with his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy. He was announced to be Donald Trump’s running mate in the Republican ticket for the 2024 U.S. presidential election during the 2024 Republican National Convention.

Born in Middletown, Ohio, Vance served in the Marine Corps before studying political science and philosophy at Ohio State University and earning a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. His memoir, which describes his upbringing in Middletown and his family’s Appalachian values, became a New York Times bestseller and attracted significant press attention during the 2016 United States presidential election. Vance launched his first political campaign for Ohio’s Senate seat in 2021 and won the Republican nomination after being endorsed by Trump.