James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman; August 2, 1984) is an American politician, author, venture capitalist, and Marine Corps veteran serving as the 50th vice president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he represented the state of Ohio in the United States Senate from 2023 to 2025. Vance was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio, and grew up in an unstable, low-income family. After graduating from Middletown High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2003, and served as a military journalist in public affairs until 2007. He earned a bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. After a brief career in corporate law, he worked for Peter Thiel's venture capital firm Mithril Capital. Vance rose to national prominence with his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which received widespread attention as scholars and journalists sought to understand white working-class disaffection after Donald Trump's election. The book spoke to a broader political realignment sweeping post-industrial Appalachia and the Midwest, and was adapted into a film in 2020. He grew up a Protestant, but converted to Roman Catholicism in 2019. Vance was originally critical of Trump's candidacy, but became a strong supporter while running for Senate. He was elected to the Senate in 2022, defeating Democratic nominee Tim Ryan in the general election after winning a crowded Republican primary with Trump's endorsement. Vance was selected as Trump's running mate in the 2024 presidential election and resigned from the Senate before his inauguration as vice president. He became the first Marine Corps veteran, the first Iraq War veteran, and first millennial in U.S. history to serve as vice president. During his tenure as vice president, he has also served as finance chair of the Republican National Committee. He has been described as a national conservative and right-wing populist, aligning himself with the "postliberal" New Right movement. Vance opposes immigration, abortion, childlessness, gender-affirming care for minors, and gun control. He often cites Catholic theology as an influence on his views, but both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV have criticized him for misrepresenting church teachings. Vance has also been a strong supporter of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.