Balloons that will be dropped on delegates at the Republican National Convention hang ready in the rafters of the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Monday. Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom.
By James Matheson and Caley Fox Shannon
MILWAUKEE – Delegates at the Republican National Convention certified Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) Monday afternoon as Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, a pick that stirred resounding endorsements from Maryland and other state delegations.
“I couldn’t be happier. A great selection, I’m 100% for it,” Jerry DeWolf, a Washington County delegate said on the convention floor. “I’m proud that President Trump is fighting for America. I’m proud that Senator J.D. Vance gets to fight right alongside him.”
In a brief statement to CNS, state Sen. Johnny Ray Salling (R-Baltimore County) said: “We are very happy with Senator J.D. Vance. We support our President Donald Trump and his nominee as vice president.”
Trump announced Monday afternoon that he would tap Vance, the author of the memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” and a once-outspoken critic of the former president, as his running mate.
Following a unanimous “aye” from the floor of the Fiserv Forum several hours later, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), officially confirmed that Trump and Vance will be the GOP standard-bearers in November.
Vance stood at the front of the Ohio delegation alongside his wife, Usha, waving to the crowd with misty eyes.
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Maryland delegates were active on social media following the announcement: CNS relied heavily on posts by convention delegates, as Maryland GOP Executive Director Adam Wood directed the delegates not to speak to the media without his approval. Wood asked CNS to submit prescreened questions, which is not a customary practice by news organizations.
“Great!!” wrote Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore County) on X after the Vance announcement.
“Well, I guess he’s done with the @BankingGOP,” convention delegate Don Murphy posted on X, referring to Vance’s membership on the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.
Maryland delegate Vikki Birkett echoed the delegation’s excitement on Facebook: “JD Vance in the house!” The post was accompanied by a photo of Vance wading through a throng of delegates reaching to snap a photo on the convention floor.
While a public supporter of Trump, Vance has not always backed him in private. In 2016, Vance alluded to the idea that Trump might be “America’s Hitler” in a Facebook message to his former college roommate, Georgia state Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Democrat.
McLaurin reiterated his distaste for Trump’s new running mate in a post on X Monday afternoon.
“I’m the guy JD Vance sent the ‘America’s Hitler’ text to in 2016. He was my roommate in law school,” McLaurin wrote. “Obviously he’s a sellout, but the bigger deal is he’s angry and vindictive. The perfect fit for Trump’s revenge. JD’s rise is a triumph for angry jerks everywhere.”
Vance, a graduate of Yale Law School, has changed his once anti-Trump tone in recent years, after the former president endorsed his 2022 run for Senate.
But Vance’s belated flip to Trump supporter did not bother Florida State Sen. Ileana Garcia, a convention delegate. “It wouldn’t be the first time that they see the light,” she said.
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Vance, a 39-year-old Marine veteran, brings a youth to the Republican ticket that other contenders for the position – Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, 53, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, 58, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, 67 – did not.
Gregory Fuller, an alternate delegate from Salinas, California, said Vance “has a short but stellar record, I would say, in terms of his political career. And I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes.”
“He brings what we need to the ticket,” Ohio delegate Janet Creighton said moments after Vance’s nomination became official. “He brings youth, intelligence, and he’s a leader.”
Creighton added that she would have been happy with any of the final candidates for vice president. Some delegates from Florida, on the other hand, did not agree.
“I wish it would have been Rubio,” Garcia said. “It’s what President Trump deems fit … I hope that J.D. Vance continues to help our cause, which is the freedom cause.”
Vance did not address the convention before an afternoon recess was called. He is expected to deliver an acceptance speech later in the week.
Trump was in Milwaukee but did not speak to the convention Monday. He is scheduled to deliver his nomination acceptance speech to close the convention on Thursday night.
The post Maryland delegates hail Trump’s pick of Vance for running mate appeared first on Maryland Matters .
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