JD Vance’s ties to Connecticut

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s ties to Connecticut are in the spotlight after Vance was selected by former president Donald Trump to be the Republican nominee for vice president.

Vance, 39, is alumnus of Yale Law School. His bestselling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” traces his path from an impoverished upbringing in Ohio, to service in the Marine Corps, and on to New Haven.

“He has a somewhat unorthodox upbringing compared to other backgrounds you might hear about normally at a place like Yale,” said Lauren Noble, the founder and executive director of the Buckley Institute at Yale.

In 2017, Vance spoke at an event hosted by the Buckley Institute – an organization named for the conservative intellectual William F. Buckley, which brings prominent speakers to Yale.

“It was a different perspective for students to be able to hear and engage with,” Noble said.

Since his appearance at Yale seven years ago, Vance’s political star has only risen. He was elected to the Senate in 2022 with Trump’s support, a man Vance sharply criticized in multiple public addresses prior to entering electoral politics.

For younger conservatives, Vance’s age and ideology are both selling points. Supporters said he represents a more populist, pro-worker strain ascendant within the Republican Party.

“He’s not interested in just giving tax cuts and corporate welfare out,” said Patrick Burland, a 24-year old Republican who is in Milwaukee this week as part of Connecticut’s delegation to the Republican National Convention.

Burland said Vance is focused on boosting pay, protecting jobs and making the country safer.

That praise from Republicans stands in contrast with sharp criticisms and warnings from Democrats, who characterize Vance as an extremist.

Speaking after an event promoting access to abortion, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz noted that Vance “takes a very extreme position saying that even in cases of rape and incest, he does not support the right the right to an abortion–saying that,  ‘two wrongs don’t make a right.’”

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