Inside J.D. Vance's life in Washington

J.D. Vance , an Appalachian turned Alexandrian, is now former President Trump 's running mate, and we wanted to dig into the Ohio senator's local Washington persona.

Why it matters: Vance's DMV life offers a peek into where a potential second Trump administration could live and hang.

Catch up quick: Vance has made a lightning-fast journey over the past eight years from bestselling author and Trump critic to senator and, now, Trump's VP pick.

• Before becoming senator, Vance briefly worked at the D.C. venture capital firm Revolution, started by AOL co-founder Steve Case. There Vance overlapped with Joe Biden's first chief of staff, Ron Klain.
• Nowadays, Vance is one of Trump's closest allies on Capitol Hill and a fervent defender of his domestic and foreign policy.

State of play: Vance's first-term Senate office has a dose of startup energy. As Politico put it : "a mixture of adrenaline and youthful enthusiasm," powered by "two other powerful stimulants: testosterone and nicotine."

• Most who work for him are men under 40, nearly all 6 feet-something — running on plenty of nicotine ( Zyn , perhaps?).

His wife Usha Vance is a highly accomplished attorney and daughter of Indian immigrants.

• The two met at Yale Law School, married in 2014, and have three children. She was a registered Democrat until at least 2014, per the New York Times .
• She clerked for Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he was on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Flashback: Last year, there were reports Vance bought a home in Alexandria's liberal Del Ray neighborhood, after which protesters yarn-bombed the house.

• The string art — knitted trans and bi Pride flags and a sign reading "Respect Our Rights" — was a means of protesting comments Vance has made concerning immigrants and trans kids , said the Del Ray yarn-bomber.

The intrigue: It might seem like a bit of a head-scratcher that Vance, a diehard Trump stalwart , would snag a home in Del Ray, the kind of spot where you're far likelier to see an "In this house, we believe…" sign than a Trump flag.

• Vance once fired off on social media about girls rowing in masks on the Potomac River (circa 2021).
• But it seems this isn't the first time Vance has settled in a left-leaning spot: In 2018, Vance and his wife purchased a $1.4 million, 5,000-square-foot home in "an upscale, liberal-leaning neighborhood" of Cincinnati , reported the New York Times.

Between the lines: Political insiders have speculated to Axios that the MAGA crowd may gravitate toward the 'burbs with a new administration, particularly Northern Virginia and Alexandria, given that the Trump Hotel is no more — a transition that seems even more likely now.

Yes, but: Vance's political campaign action committee seems to favor steakhouse chains downtown, according to Washingtonian , which reviewed spending reports at the likes of Capital Grille and Fogo de Chao.

• Also, no surprise for swamp circulators: Cafe Milano.

Meanwhile, reports of residents spotting the Vances out and about in Del Ray are scarce.