'Knock-down, drag-out fight': GOP senators sharply divided over Vance
Before Donald Trump's running mate was announced at the 2024 Republican National Convention, some GOP strategists were hoping he would pick North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum or Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) — establishment Republicans who, they argued, would increase Trump's appeal among swing voters and independents.
Instead, Trump went ultra-MAGA, choosing Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate. And since then, the "Hillbilly Elegy" author has been drawing widespread criticism for comments he made in the past.
In 2021 and 2022, Vance railed against "childless cat ladies" and "childless Democrats" — specifically mentioning Vice President Kamala Harris, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and saying that Americans who don't have biological children should be "punished" via higher taxes.
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According to CNN, Vance attacked childless Americans as "sociopaths" and "less mentally stable" in a 2020 podcast interview.
In an article published on July 30, The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports that GOP senators are sharply divided over Trump picking Vance as his running mate.
Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota) is defending Vance, telling The Hill, "The reporting is (Trump) is very pleased with that pick and confident that he'll be a help to him not just at the top of the ticket ,but in down-ballot races, in parts of the country we're trying to expand our appeal."
But Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), according to The Washington Post, tried to dissuade Trump from picking Vance and told him that Rubio would be much more helpful with swing voters.
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A GOP senator, presumably interviewed on condition of anonymity, told The Hill that Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) would have been a much better choice than Vance.
One of The Hill's interviewees speculated that Donald Trump Jr. and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson encouraged Trump to pick Vance, and another Republican senator told the publication, "Youth has benefit, but experience matters too — more than two years. Before you ever run for the United States Senate, you ought to at least run for county sheriff. Sounds like it was a knock-down, drag-out fight until the decision was made."
A Senate Republican aide believes that privately, the former president is having buyer's remorse over picking Vance.
The aide told The Hill, "Knowing Trump, I can't imagine he likes what he sees. He's probably like: Why did I listen to Don Jr?.' It was a very confident and cocky pick."
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Read The Hill's full article at this link.
