JD Vance, Trump's VP pick, heading to Indiana after 2024 RNC in Milwaukee
Brittany CarloniMILWAUKEE – Republican Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance is scheduled to visit Fort Wayne, Indiana, next week, just days after the close of the Republican National Convention.
Former President Donald Trump on Monday tapped Vance, the U.S. Senator from Ohio, as his running mate for his 2024 campaign. Trump’s previous running mate in 2016 and 2020 was former Vice President Mike Pence.
Allen County Republican Party Chairman Steve Shine confirmed to IndyStar that Vance will visit Fort Wayne on Wednesday. Shine said specifics of the appearance are still being solidified.
“We are very honored to have someone of such national prominence so soon out of the gate after the convention to come visit Fort Wayne in Allen County,” Shine told IndyStar on Thursday. “It substantiates the fact that Allen County is a Republican hotbed for the state of Indiana.”
Vance, the author of "Hillbilly Elegy," formally accepted the party’s nomination for vice president Wednesday at the RNC in Milwaukee.
Indiana delegates at the convention in Milwaukee Thursday morning said they believe Vance can further cement Indiana’s position as a solid red state for Trump.
“JD’s got a story that a lot of us can relate to, myself included, that’s truly American,” said Chris King, the Shelby County GOP chair. “I think that's the type of thing that folks in our community can get behind.”
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Pat Brown, a delegate from LaGrange County in northeast Indiana, said small-town Hoosiers will connect with Vance’s story and his military service.
“I think it was a good, wise choice for (Trump),” she said.
Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni atbrittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.