MILWAUKEE — Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance told a roaring crowd at the RNC on Wednesday night that he would never forget his humble roots and that he stands fully behind Donald Trump as he seeks to recapture the presidency.
“President Trump represents America’s last best hope to restore what, if lost, may never be found again: A country where a working-class boy born far from the halls of power can stand on this stage as the next vice president of the United States of America,” Vance said.
If Vance’s speech was an introduction to many Republicans who still don’t know much about the U.S. senator elected just two years ago, he didn’t need much time to make his case.
The convention crowd erupted in cheers as he spoke about his personal story — including introducing his mother in the audience who he said was soon to be 10 years sober. And they laughed along at his jokes about his kids and his slight ribbing of University of Michigan fans when he said he went to Ohio State.
Conventiongoers waved their newly printed “Trump-Vance” signs and shouted “JD! JD!” When the crowd shifted to chants of “Joe must go!” Vance mouthed the words and shook his fist to the words.
Maryland alternate delegate Jeffery McBride had been one of those in the crowd eagerly awaiting Vance’s speech two days after Trump announced his selection.
McBride, it turned out, even had something in common with his party’s most popular new celebrity. For both the Harford County resident and Vance, this GOP convention is their very first.
“So far, I’ve been incredibly impressed with him, the way he’s carried himself,” McBride said Wednesday afternoon ahead of Vance’s speech that was set to introduce him to thousands of Republican stalwarts, like McBride, who weren’t as familiar with his background and policy positions. “He seems to be a very personable and friendly person.”
Vance, a U.S. senator from Ohio elected just two years ago, is a 39-year-old rising star in the party whose prominence began with his 2016 bestselling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.”
He’s been a fierce defender of former President Trump and has so far received positive reviews from Republicans at the convention.
After appearing alongside Trump in the stands each of the first two nights, he spoke on a night focused on issues of foreign affairs and national security. Trump will address the convention during its finale Thursday evening in a speech that’s expected to set the tone for the party heading into the final months of the election. It was unclear Wednesday what Trump will focus on in the wake of his attempted assassination, which has made some members of the party hope for a more unifying message.
Wednesday’s speakers also included Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, along with Donald Trump Jr. and his fiancee, Kimberly Guilfoyle, former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who had been in consideration for the vice presidential pick.
The third day of the convention featured another governor and rising star in the party speaking directly to Maryland’s dozens of delegates at their daily breakfast meeting — Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.
A Republican who took office earlier this year, Landry has enacted a conservative agenda in his home state that has included laws requiring the Ten Commandments to be shown in every public classroom, the classifying of abortion pills as dangerous controlled substances, and the ability for judges to order the surgical castration of people convicted of certain sex crimes against children.
Landry’s speech — along with every other daily gathering of Maryland’s delegates — was closed to reporters, per guidelines set by the Maryland GOP. Many state delegations have similar daily gatherings featuring high-profile speakers that are open to the media. Maryland delegates have also been under strict guidelines this week not to speak with reporters unless specifically authorized by state party leaders.
Reporters attempting to speak with delegates after the meeting Wednesday were escorted out of the building by hotel management after initially being told some delegates would be permitted to speak.
Maryland Republican Party Executive Director Adam Wood said in a statement later that the party is “not allowing press at our hotel because it is a space for our guests to recharge and relax between a busy schedule.” He did not directly answer questions about why delegates, several of whom are public officials, were not allowed to speak freely.
A written statement released by the state party said only that Landry “discussed the changes that have been made in Louisiana as they have transitioned from Democrat to Republican leadership, and all of the successes they have had in that process.”
U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, a freshman Republican congressman from Texas, also addressed the delegates Wednesday.
Maryland’s representatives have also heard this week from Kari Lake, the U.S. Senate candidate and former gubernatorial candidate in Arizona who is a staunch supporter of Trump.
McBride, who was permitted to speak with The Baltimore Sun briefly in the afternoon, said he’d been enjoying his time at a convention filled with “a lot of positivity.”
Delegates and alternate delegates had seen more than 12 hours of official convention action heading into Wednesday night’s four-hour session, though many of them regularly filter in and out as the surrounding area within the security perimeter is packed with bars, restaurants, vendors and musical performances.
McBride, though, said he’s here for the official action in the arena.
“I’ve spent every minute in there, absorbing it and listening to people,” McBride said. “As a first-timer, I’m not skipping anything.”
