Voters see a smart, strong senator in Trump’s running mate JD Vance, according to an exclusive poll by the Daily Mail, as Democrats portray him as a clone of Donald Trump
For those familiar with Senator JD Vance, Donald Trump’s new running mate is “strong” and “smart,” according to a snap poll of voters conducted for DailyMail.com.
But for many he is a new name.
“Don’t” and “know” were the two most common terms in a word cloud of results from 300 potential voters asked to describe their opinions of the 39-year-old senator from Ohio.
If you leave those out, the results are favorable: “Good” and “leader” win out over “idiot” or “asshole.”
Democrats went on the attack immediately after Trump announced his pick on Monday, describing him as a clone of the former president who will loyally follow orders. The results suggest that both parties have a chance to define a man who is largely unknown outside Ohio or the world of the Make America Great Again movement.
JL Partners asked 300 likely voters their thoughts on J.D. Vance after Trump picked him as his running mate. These results show the most prominent words after “don’t know” was removed
Trump emphasized Vance’s fighting spirit when he selected him, saying he would protect the U.S. Constitution.
He cited his career as a Marine and his bestselling book “Hillbilly Elegy” as factors in his choice.
Shortly thereafter, Vance received a hero’s welcome when he appeared on the convention floor in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Our poll found that even some Democrats saw something they liked about him.
“He comes from a working-class family,” said a 19-year-old college student from Wisconsin who said she planned to vote for President Joe Biden.
One independent said, “Vance is a modern Republican with more thoughtful views than the old neocons and evangelicals.”
When asked what they thought of Trump’s choice, 34 percent gave a positive answer, 22 percent a negative answer and 23 percent were neutral.
The results come with a caveat: The poll of 300 likely voters offers only a quick snapshot of attitudes immediately after the choice has been made.
James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners, said it continues to show that voters have a more complicated view of Vance than the opinion makers who dismissed the election as a failure.
“Vance is not described as ‘MAGA’ or some kind of fascist. Those who know him see him as a Republican senator who is smart, conservative and strong.
Donald Trump and JD Vance appeared together at the Republican National Convention on Monday night, hours after the former president picked him as his running mate
Trump is still not well known outside political circles. When all answers are taken into account, ‘don’t know’ is the dominant answer
‘But the main impression is one of shrugging: the vast majority do not yet know who he is. You can read that in two ways.’
That means Biden’s campaign has a chance to define him, he said.
“Or maybe – and I find this the most compelling argument based on the other findings of the poll – it won’t affect the race anyway.
“Many voters have made up their minds about Trump and Biden. For those who are still undecided, it will be big issues like the debates and the behavior of the candidates themselves that will make the difference come November.”
Democrats quickly tried to label him a Trump facilitator.
Vance has been a senator for two years and is perhaps best known as the author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” his memoir about a troubled upbringing in Ohio
Jen O’Malley Dillon, chair of the 2024 Biden-Harris campaign, attacked Vance’s record, saying he was elected because Trump knew he would do what Mike Pence opposed: “Do whatever it takes to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda, even if it means breaking the law and regardless of the harm it does to the American people.”
And several people in our poll agreed.
When asked what she didn’t like about Vance, the same 19-year-old Wisconsin student cited some of his hard-line, conservative stances.
“His policies on Ukraine, abortion, climate change, etc.,” she said.
A 41-year-old risk consultant from Illinois who voted for Biden in 2020 said, “I think he’s an extremist and a racist, even more so than Trump.”
Another said he was nothing more than a “Trump defender.”
Vance will deliver a speech to Congress on Wednesday, while Trump will close the meeting a day later.