North Texas Republicans praise JD Vance as Trump's VP pick

NORTH TEXAS — Grassroots Republicans in North Texas celebrated the announcement that former President and now three-time GOP nominee Donald Trump selected Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his vice-presidential nominee and running mate.

"He has a wonderful history," said Karen Watson, a Republican. "It's a wonderful American story. He's young, he's energetic."

"You see that he's just a hard-working, normal guy who has used his intelligence and his talent to get where he is," said Republican Orlando Salazar.

Republicans CBS News Texas spoke to said Vance, who turns 40 next month, represents the next generation of Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement.

"Really represents the ideological vanguard of where the Republican Party and more broadly the conservative movement is moving in favor of really focusing on the working class and the middle class whose wages have stagnated over the last four years, particularly in the Midwest," said Sanjay Narayan, another Republican.

During primetime Monday night, Trump walked into the Republican National Convention to a rousing standing ovation from delegates two days after he survived an assassination attempt at his rally in Pennsylvania. He wore a bandage on his right ear .

Trump also appeared for the first time with Vance since selecting him as his new running mate.

The convention began earlier Monday.

Jonathan Saenz, president of the conservative group Texas Values Action and a Delegate At Large, spoke with CBS News Texas as he and others were ready to enter the complex.

"This is the Texas delegation. So, you know we're a proud bunch," said Saenz. "We're all wearing our cowboy hat, so everybody knows we're from Texas."

Saenz said he and other proud Texans are pumped up for the convention after the former president walked away from the shooting and pumped his fist in defiance.

"When your presidential nominee takes a bullet and keeps going and encourages you to do the same, that is inspired from people from the State of Texas that are delegates here to stand with President Trump to be more resolute, to be more optimistic, and to unite for victory," said Saenz.

South Texas Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz, R-15th Congressional District, will speak at the convention in prime time Wednesday night.

She said she'll talk about the top concerns for Americans, including inflation.

"Families all across this nation are struggling to put food on the table," De La Cruz said. "I'm also going to talk about the men and women who've been forgotten by the Biden administration due to Biden's lack of securing our border."

Aside from De La Cruz, Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, a former Democrat who became a Republican, will speak at the convention during prime time.

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