Good morning and welcome to the Essential California Newsletter. Sunday, July 21st. I'm your host, Andrew J. Kampa, and here's what you need to know before you start your weekend.

Trump picks 'Hillbilly Elegy' author as running mate

There was a time when former President Trump considered J.D. Vance one of his biggest critics.

Vance has previously described him as a “con man,” a “moral fiasco” and a “cultural heroin,” the latter a shocking criticism coming from someone whose most acclaimed work focuses on working-class Appalachian communities hit by the opioid epidemic.

But within a few years, Vance had gone from ardent Never-Trumpist to MAGA town spokesman.

That shift was turned upside down on Monday at the Republican National Convention when Trump, 78, selected Vance, 39, as his running mate.

Vance is hoping to replace former Vice President Mike Pence, who has not supported Trump and fled from Trump's supporters who tried to hang him on January 6, 2021.

Who is J.D. Vance?

Trump has an ally in Vance, a fiery and aggressive man who will likely appeal to the former president's base.

“As Vice President, JD will continue to fight for our Constitution, stand with our troops, and do everything in his power to Make America Great Again,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

His full name is James David Vance, and he will be 40 in August. Like his wife, Usha Chirukuri Vance, he has a law degree from Yale University, where they met. The couple have three children.

Vance gained international fame in 2016 with his best-selling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and a Culture in Crisis,” which detailed his childhood in the Midwestern steel mill town of Middletown, Ohio. It also recounted his time serving as a Marine in Iraq and attending Yale University, where he said he felt like a “cultural outsider.”

Vance, who describes her mother as someone who became pregnant as a teenager and struggled with addiction, mental illness and unstable relationships, went to live with her hardworking grandmother from Kentucky, whom she affectionately calls “Mamaw.”

Hillbilly Elegy reads like a love letter to Vance's family, depicting his struggles with addiction, broken relationships, and enduring love. But perhaps more than that, it's a letter to the state of working-class white people — the same demographic Trump sees as the bedrock of his support base.

After serving in Iraq and attending Ohio State and Yale, Vance moved to San Francisco and worked as an investor at Silicon Valley venture capital firm Mithril Capital. He became a protégé of Peter Thiel, a Republican megadonor who gave $10 million to Vance's Senate campaign. Thiel had previously donated to Trump. Atlantic He said he would not fund any politicians in the 2024 elections.

President Trump picked Vance in a tightly contested Ohio Senate race and endorsed him for the 2022 midterm elections, where Vance rose to the front and defeated veteran Democrat Tim Ryan.

What is the appeal of Vance's hometown?

He created a buzz locally during his 2022 campaign for Ohio State Senate with a now-infamous campaign ad that begins with two blunt questions. Are you racist? Do you hate Mexicans?

The commercial drew swift condemnation, but Trump ultimately endorsed Vance, who went on to win his seat.

Last year, senators introduced a bill calling for English to be made an official language.

Vance supports using the U.S. military to go after Mexican drug cartels, but opposes amnesty for immigrants in the U.S. illegally and federally funded health care for DACA recipients.

last week, Vance supporters asked to raise funds It called for the deportation of “all those who have entered our country illegally.”

Perhaps Trump's advisers believe Vance's record and life story will appeal to Hispanics in battleground states like Nevada and Arizona, given that recent polls have shown that anti-illegal immigration among Hispanics is at its highest level in decades.

Most Americans know very little about Vance, but that will likely change as the campaign continues.

Read more about Vance in reporter Faith Piño's profile, and columnist Gustavo Arellano examines the similarities and differences between Latino immigrant and redneck cultures.

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By Andrew J. Kampa
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