Career Timeline of JD Vance: Major Achievements and Milestones
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how JD Vance made an impact.
J.D. Vance is an American politician, author, attorney, and Marine Corps veteran who served as the 50th vice president of the United States and as a U.S. Senator representing Ohio from 2023 to 2025. Affiliated with the Republican Party, Vance also held the position of finance chair of the Republican National Committee while serving as vice president.
2003: Enlistment in the Marine Corps
In 2003, J.D. Vance enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after graduating from Middletown High School.
2007: Studies at Ohio State University
In 2007, J.D. Vance left the military and began studying at Ohio State University using the G.I. Bill.
2009: Graduation from Ohio State University
In 2009, J.D. Vance graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and philosophy.
2010: Writing for FrumForum
From 2010, J.D. Vance wrote for David Frum's "FrumForum" website under the name J. D. Hamel.
2010: Entry to Yale Law School
In 2010, J.D. Vance entered Yale Law School and won a position on "The Yale Law Journal". Amy Chua persuaded him to write Hillbilly Elegy during his first year.
2011: Meeting with Peter Thiel
In 2011, J.D. Vance initiated a rapport with Peter Thiel after attending his talk at Yale.
May 2013: Graduation from Yale Law School
In May 2013, J.D. Vance obtained his Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School.
June 2016: Publication of Hillbilly Elegy
In June 2016, Harper published J.D. Vance's book, "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis", recounting his Appalachian upbringing.
December 2016: Plans to Move to Ohio
In December 2016, J.D. Vance announced plans to move to Ohio and consider starting a nonprofit or running for office.
2016: Joins Mithril Capital
In 2016, J.D. Vance became a principal at Peter Thiel's firm, Mithril Capital.
2016: Publication of Hillbilly Elegy
In 2016, J.D. Vance published his memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy", which became a bestseller and brought him national attention.
March 2017: AppHarvest Board of Directors
From March 2017, J.D. Vance served on the board of directors of AppHarvest, an indoor vertical farming startup in Kentucky.
April 2017: Hillbilly Elegy Film Announced
In April 2017, Ron Howard signed on to direct the film version of Hillbilly Elegy.
2017: Bestseller and Media Attention
In 2017, "Hillbilly Elegy" remained on The New York Times Best Seller list, bringing Vance increased media attention.
2017: Our Ohio Renewal Foundation Formed
In 2017, J.D. Vance formed a similarly named 501(c)(3) organization, Our Ohio Renewal Foundation, which raised around $69,000 from 2017 to 2023.
2017: Joins Revolution LLC
In 2017, J.D. Vance joined Revolution LLC, an investment firm founded by Steve Case, tasked with expanding the "Rise of the Rest" initiative.
2017: Principal at Mithril Capital
In 2017, J.D. Vance served as a principal at Peter Thiel's firm, Mithril Capital.
2017: Founded Our Ohio Renewal
In 2017, J.D. Vance started Our Ohio Renewal, a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization focused on education and addiction.
2018: Considered Running for Senate
In early 2018, J.D. Vance considered running for the U.S. Senate against Sherrod Brown but did not.
2019: Co-founded Rockbridge Network and Narya Capital
In 2019, J.D. Vance co-founded the conservative political advocacy group Rockbridge Network and venture capital firm Narya Capital.
2019: Advisory Board Member of With Honor Fund
In 2019, J.D. Vance served on the board of advisors of the With Honor Fund, a Super PAC supporting veteran political candidates.
November 11, 2020: Release of Hillbilly Elegy Film
On November 11, 2020, the film version of "Hillbilly Elegy" was released in select theaters and on Netflix.
2020: Advisory Board of American Moment
From 2020, J.D. Vance served on the board of advisors of American Moment, a networking and training organization for young conservatives.
2020: Raised Funds for Narya Capital
In 2020, J.D. Vance raised $93 million for Narya Capital.
2020: Our Ohio Renewal advisory board
In 2020, Keith Humphreys, Jamil Jivani, Yuval Levin, and Sally Satel remained on the advisory board of Our Ohio Renewal.
2020: Vance Claims of Rigged Election
In October 2024, J.D. Vance said he did not believe Trump lost the 2020 presidential election and believed Big Tech rigged the election through censorship.
March 2021: Super PAC Support
In March 2021, Peter Thiel gave $10 million to Protect Ohio Values, a super PAC created to support a potential J.D. Vance candidacy.
April 2021: Resignation from AppHarvest Board
In April 2021, J.D. Vance resigned from the board of directors of AppHarvest.
July 1, 2021: Announced Senate Campaign
On July 1, 2021, J.D. Vance announced his Senate campaign in Ohio.
May 3, 2022: Won Republican Primary
On May 3, 2022, J.D. Vance won the Republican primary in Ohio with 32% of the vote.
2022: Sacks and Thiel Support Vance's Senate Campaign
In 2022, David Sacks gave a super PAC supporting Vance's Senate campaign $900,000, and Peter Thiel added $15 million.
2022: Election to the U.S. Senate
In 2022, J.D. Vance won the United States Senate election in Ohio, defeating Democratic nominee Tim Ryan.
January 3, 2023: Sworn into the Senate
On January 3, 2023, J.D. Vance was sworn into the Senate as a member of the 118th United States Congress.
January 2023: Start of Senate Term
In January 2023, J.D. Vance began serving as Ohio's senator.
January 31, 2023: Vance Endorses Donald Trump
On January 31, 2023, J.D. Vance endorsed former president Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries.
June 2023: Voted against raising the debt ceiling
In June 2023, Senator J.D. Vance voted against raising the debt ceiling, opposing the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.
July 2023: Introduced Legislation on Gender-Affirming Care
In July 2023, J.D. Vance and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced legislation that would have made gender-affirming care for minors a federal crime.
2023: Our Ohio Renewal Foundation Funding
From 2017 to 2023, Our Ohio Renewal Foundation raised around $69,000.
2023: Continued Service on American Moment Board
In 2023, J.D. Vance was still serving on the board of advisors for American Moment.
2023: Vance Represents Ohio in U.S. Senate
In 2023, James David Vance began representing Ohio in the U.S. Senate, holding the position until 2025.
May 15, 2024: Fundraising Dinner with Trump
On May 15, 2024, Donald Trump attended a $50,000 per head private fundraising dinner with J.D. Vance in Cincinnati, attended by guests including Chris Bortz and Republican fundraiser Nate Morris.
June 2024: Sponsored the Dismantle DEI Act
In June 2024, J.D. Vance sponsored the Dismantle DEI Act, which would ban federal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
July 15, 2024: Trump Chooses Vance as Running Mate
On July 15, 2024, the first day of the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he had chosen J.D. Vance as his running mate for the upcoming election.
July 2024: Senate activity data
Data from mid-July 2024, shows J.D. Vance made 45 Senate speeches and sponsored 57 legislative bills.
July 2024: Selection as Running Mate
In July 2024, Donald Trump selected J.D. Vance as his running mate for the presidential election.
July 2024: Net-Negative Approval Rating for Vance
In July 2024, a CNN poll analysis after the Republican National Convention showed a net-negative approval rating for J.D. Vance, leading some to question his choice as running mate.
July 2024: Vance Comments on Kamala Harris
In late July 2024, after President Joe Biden withdrew from the election and Kamala Harris became a presidential candidate, J.D. Vance commented on Harris's political position.
August 2024: Vance States Trump would veto Abortion Ban
In August 2024, J.D. Vance said that Donald Trump "said that explicitly that he would" veto a national abortion ban.
August 2024: Vance Interview on Vice Presidential Impact and Arlington Controversy
In August 2024, J.D. Vance stated that a vice president "doesn't really matter" and criticized Kamala Harris. He also commented on the controversy surrounding Trump's visit to Arlington National Cemetery, making controversial statements about Harris.
August 2024: Vance Supports Increased Child Tax Credit
In an August 2024 interview on Face the Nation, Vance said he supported increasing the child tax credit from $2,000 per child to $5,000 per child.
September 2024: Vance Speaks at Wallnau Town Hall
In September 2024, J.D. Vance spoke at a western Pennsylvania town hall event organized by Lance Wallnau, who has promoted election denialism and called Kamala Harris a "demon".
September 2024: Trump's Response to Vance's Statement on Veto
In September 2024, during his debate with Harris, Donald Trump responded to Vance's statement about a veto on abortion ban, saying that he didn't discuss it with Vance and was unsure if Vance was speaking for him.
October 1, 2024: Vice Presidential Debate
The vice presidential debate was held on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, at 9:00 p.m. EDT at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.
October 2024: Vance Claims of Rigged Election
In October 2024, J.D. Vance said he did not believe Trump lost the 2020 presidential election and believed Big Tech rigged the election through censorship.
2024: Vance Meets with Zelenskyy
During a 2024 meeting with Zelenskyy, Vance accused Zelenskyy of showing a "propaganda tour" of Ukraine and falsely said Zelenskyy "went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October" 2024.
January 3, 2025: End of Senate term
J.D. Vance served as Ohio's junior senator from January 3, 2023, to January 3, 2025.
January 2025: End of Senate service
In January 2025, J.D. Vance completed his service as a senator for Ohio.
January 20, 2025: Vance Becomes Vice President
At noon on January 20, 2025, J.D. Vance became the 50th vice president of the United States, sworn into the office by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He also held a meeting with China's vice president Han Zheng to discuss China–United States relations.
February 2025: Comments on Executive Power
In February 2025, after multiple federal judges issued temporary rulings against various Trump administration actions, Vance wrote, "judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power".
February 2025: Vance's Biggest Concern
In his February 2025 speech at the Munich Security Conference (MSC), Vance called "the threat from within" his biggest concern in terms of security for Europe, "not Russia, not China".
February 20, 2025: Vance's Favorability Rating
As of February 20, 2025, according to FiveThirtyEight, J.D. Vance's overall favorability was 40.7% and his unfavorability was 42.5%.
February 28, 2025: Vance and Trump Meet Zelenskyy
On February 28, 2025, Vance and Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House's Oval Office. Vance answered a question about Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and told Zelenskyy: "The path to peace and the path to prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy ... What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy. That's what President Trump is doing."
March 2025: Vance visits Greenland
In March 2025 Vance visited Greenland and said the U.S. should acquire Greenland and criticized Denmark for having "underinvested in the security architecture" and "people of Greenland".
2025: Affiliation with Project 2025
In 2025, American Moment, on whose board J.D. Vance sat, was affiliated with Project 2025.
2025: End of Senate Term
In 2025, James David Vance's term as a U.S. Senator for Ohio concluded.
2025: Project 2025 advocated for Vance
In 2025, The Heritage Foundation, which drafted Project 2025, privately advocated for Vance to be Trump's vice-presidential pick.
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