Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) may not be as well known nationally as other politicians, despite now being the vice-presidential running mate of Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
What Happened: Trump selected Vance as his running mate in an announcement made Monday ahead of the Republican National Convention.
A senator since 2023, winning a seat in the 2022 election, Vance is one of the less experienced vice-presidential candidates floated by Trump for months.
At the age of 39, Vance could also become the third youngest vice president of all time if Trump wins the election.
Benzinga recently polled readers to see how familiar they were with Vance and if he could be a good pick as a running mate.
"Do you think J.D. Vance was the best choice for Trump's VP pick?" Benzinga asked.
The results were:
Yes: 55%
No: 45%
Benzinga also asked how familiar readers were with Vance.
"Which of these did you know about J.D. Vance before Trump's announcement?"
He is the author of "Hillbilly Elegy": 36%
He is a Republican Senator from Ohio: 30%
He has investments in smaller tech companies like Rumble: 27%
He supports cryptocurrency: 17%
I didn't know anything about him: 36%
The poll found that the main thing people knew about Vance was him being the author of the bestselling book "Hillbilly Elegy." The Vance memoir was turned into a 2020 movie distributed by Netflix Inc NFLX that played in theaters and is available on the streaming platform.
Vance being an owner of Bitcoin BTC/USD and having pro-crypto stances isn't as widely known based on the results of the poll.
The senator also lacks recognition to many with 36% also saying they didn't know any of the four items about him before the poll.
"What was the primary reason Trump chose J.D. Vance as running mate?"
To appeal to younger votes: 44%
To strengthen his support among conservatives: 17%
To win crucial swing state Ohio: 23%
He likes Vance personally: 17%
The poll found that the main reason Trump selected Vance may have to do with his age and an attempt to appeal to younger voters. Vance is the first Millennial ever selected to be a vice-presidential candidate for a major party.
Being a senator from Ohio could also factor in with the state having 17 electoral votes, the seventh-highest total in the nation. The state voted for a Republican president in the last two presidential elections, but voted Democratic in 2008 and 2012. In the last 12 presidential elections, the state has voted for a Democratic president five times and a Republican seven times.
Why It's Important: The poll from Benzinga comes as YouGov also released a favorability survey on Vance, highlighting the new running mate of Trump.
The YouGov survey found the following from 3,003 adults polled on July 15, in terms of a favorable or unfavorable view on Vance.
Very favorable: 14%
Somewhat favorable: 15%
Somewhat unfavorable: 7%
Very unfavorable: 22%
Not sure: 43%
The poll found that 29% view Vance as favorable and 29% view Vance as unfavorable with the largest percentage (43%) having no opinion.
Republican voters were much more positive on Vance in the poll with 59% viewing him as favorable. Still, 36% of Republican voters were unsure of their opinion on the new vice-presidential pick. Democratic voters leaned more unfavorable with 46% of voters saying they have a very unfavorable view of Vance and 35% not sure.
Independent voters were fairly split with 20% viewing Vance as favorable and 27% viewing him as unfavorable. The majority (53%) said they were not sure about Vance.
Benzinga readers saw a potential appeal of Vance to younger voters, but the YouGov survey showed some possible trouble with that idea. Of the voters age 18-29 polled, 25% view Vance as favorable and 23% view him as unfavorable. The majority (53%) said they were not sure about Vance.
Read Next:
- Bitcoin Could Hit $100K This Year With Trump-JD Vance’s Pro-Crypto Presidential Ticket, Says Analyst
The study was conducted by Benzinga on July 15, 2024 and included the responses of a diverse population of adults 18 or older. Opting into the survey was completely voluntary, with no incentives offered to potential respondents. The study reflects results from 107 adults.
Photo: Consolidated News Photos/Shutterstock.com
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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