Trump selects US Senator J.D. Vance, a former critic, as his running mate

US Senator J.D. Vance, an Ohio Republican, speaks to reporters in the spin room following the CNN Presidential Debate between US President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate, former US president Donald Trump at the McCamish Pavilion on the Georgia Institute of Technology campus on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images via AFP)
US Senator J.D. Vance, an Ohio Republican, speaks to reporters in the spin room following the CNN Presidential Debate between US President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate, former US president Donald Trump at the McCamish Pavilion on the Georgia Institute of Technology campus on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images via AFP)

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — Donald Trump selects J.D. Vance, a Republican US senator from Ohio, as his running mate, elevating a politician who once criticized the former president in acid terms, but has since become one of his most stalwart defenders.

He says on his Truth Social Network, “After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio.”

The selection of James David Vance, author of the bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” could increase the odds of Trump supporters turning out for the November 5 election, as the Ohio native is deeply popular with the Republican candidate’s base.

A staunch conservative from a Republican state, Vance is unlikely to bring many new voters into Trump’s corner, however, and may even alienate some moderates. Some Trump supporters had pushed him to select a woman or person of color as his No. 2 to expand a coalition that skews toward white men.

AP contributed to this report.

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