Donald Trump announces J.D. Vance is his running mate

Former president Donald Trump speaks as potential vice presidential hopefuls Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott look on. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images The November presidential election is less than four months away, meaning Americans are deep in the throes of the veepstakes. You know, that favorite game of pundits, politicos and political junkies who, every four years, obsess over the presidential candidates’ choice for vice president. The Democratic ticket is, as of this writing, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. No mystery there regarding the vice presidential pick. Former President Donald Trump ended months of speculation when he announced on July 15, 2024, that his running mate is J.D. Vance, a first-term U.S. senator from Ohio. The 39-year-old politician rose to fame when “Hillbilly Elegy,” his 2016 autobiography about his hardscrabble upbringing in a poor, Rust Belt town in Ohio, vaulted him to the bestseller list. Trump’s short list was reportedly narrowed down to three candidates – Vance, fellow Sen. Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Trump announced his final decision on the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. I am a political scientist who has studied veepstakes media coverage....