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What to know about JD Vance’s views and policy record before the VP debate
Washington — Sen. JD Vance is facing off against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at the vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News on Tuesday, as the two men with differing backgrounds look to highlight how their ticket is best suited for the White House.
For the junior senator from Ohio, who was first elected in 2022, Vance’s record in politics isn’t a long one. Vance rose to prominence in 2016 with the release of his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which recounted his childhood growing up in the Rust Belt. Now the 40-year-old is seeking the nation’s second-highest office.
Vance’s views have appeared to shift during his time in the public eye — even when it comes to Trump himself. Initially an outspoken “Never Trumper,” Vance has since become a reliable defender of the former president’s record and vision.
Here’s what else to know about Vance’s views and record ahead of the VP debate:
JD Vance’s views and record on IVF
Vance, whose selection as Trump’s running mate prompted the resurfacing of comments he made disparaging “childless cat ladies,” has expressed support for fertility treatments and what he sees as pro-family policies.
“Of course, we want to make it easier for moms and dads to choose life if, of course, they’re in a terrible situation where they have fertility problems,” Vance told Megyn Kelly in July, adding that he believes “babies are a profound moral good.”
IVF became a campaign issue after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in February that frozen embryos could be considered children, leading providers in the state to temporarily halt the treatment. Since then, many Republicans have expressed their support for the popular fertility treatments, including Trump, who has outlined plans to make IVF free for patients, either by requiring insurance plans to cover the treatments or having the government foot the bill.
Democrats, who have worked to highlight GOP positions on the issue, have railed against Vance for his vote — or absence — on two votes on legislation that would have established a nationwide right to IVF earlier this year. Vance opposed the bill in June, and did not vote in September. All but two Republicans opposed the measure both times, despite expressions of support for the procedure.
Vance signed on to a statement by all Senate Republicans in June pledging their support for the fertility treatments, saying they “strongly support continued nationwide access to IVF.” Vance has also voiced concerns about religious liberty related to IVF, suggesting that Chrisitian hospitals shouldn’t be required to provide the fertility treatments.
JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images
Abortion
Vance has previously supported restrictions on abortion, signaling in 2022 that he would back a nationwide restriction on abortion beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy, and campaigning on eliminating abortion in his bid for the Senate. But he has since softened his stance to align more closely with Trump’s.
“I am pro-life. I want to save as many babies as possible,” Vance said on “Face the Nation” in May, arguing that it’s “totally reasonable” to oppose late-term abortions. “But I think Trump’s approach here is trying to settle a very tough issue and actually empower the American people to decide it for themselves.”
Vance has defended Trump’s stance on abortion, saying the issue should be left up to the states, though he’s also occasionally gotten ahead of the former president on the issue, like when he pledged that Trump would veto a national abortion ban. During the presidential debate, Trump wouldn’t say whether he would do so, adding that he hadn’t discussed it with Vance.
LGBTQ rights
Vance has faced criticism from LGBTQ rights groups for his stances, especially when it comes to transgender issues. In 2023, Vance sponsored legislation that would ban access to gender-affirming care for minors, along with a bill to bar the State Department from allowing the gender marker “X” on passports.
Vance also said he would vote no on the Respect for Marriage Act, which provided federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, while campaigning for Senate in 2022, citing religious liberty concerns.
Foreign policy
Vance belongs to a wing of the GOP that has grown increasingly more isolationist in recent years under Trump’s leadership. He’s been one of the most vocal Republican senators in his opposition to additional Ukraine aid, while suggesting late last year that the country should cede territory to Russia as part of a negotiated end to the war. More recently, the Marine veteran suggested that the war could end with the creation of a demilitarized zone between Russia and Ukraine.
Vance has also praised some of the decisions made by authoritarian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a leader who has maintained friendly relationships with U.S. adversaries, telling “Face the Nation” in May that the U.S “could learn from” some of his actions, including controversial policies related to dealing with dissidents at universities. Orbán seized control of state universities in a move that critics say has extended his government’s right-wing influence. Vance has been clear that he doesn’t endorse all of Orbán’s policies.
The economy
A central message of Vance’s 2016 book, detailing his personal story against the backdrop of the struggles of Appalachia and Rust Belt America, is that Americans experiencing economic hardship can improve their lives only by their own willpower. Since then, he’s had a diverse track record on the economy.
Vance has touted Trump’s economic proposals, including a number aimed at cutting taxes, saying on “Face the Nation” in September that the policies are reflective of the GOP belief that “American workers should keep more of their own money.”
Despite concerns about the proposals adding to the national debt, Vance has cited Trump’s plans for tariffs that he says could offset the impact of the tax breaks on the deficit. And he’s generally been supportive of protectionist trade policies.
A former venture capitalist who has ties to tech giants, Vance has also expressed criticism toward big tech in recent years. And he’s praised Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan for her work on antitrust enforcement in the Biden administration.
Immigration
Since he launched his Senate bid, Vance has made immigration a centerpiece of his campaign strategy. Like Trump, he advocates for stricter border policies and mass deportations. He’s also voiced support for restarting construction of a border wall.
Vance has framed his opposition to immigration primarily based on its impact on American jobs. And he’s advocated for a merit-based system for legal immigration.
Recently, Vance has been at the center of a controversial story in Ohio revolving around debunked claims about Haitian immigrants. Vance amplified false rumors that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating the pets of their neighbors, while putting the blame on the Biden-Harris administration.
CBS News will host the only planned vice presidential debate between Vance and Walz on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 9 p.m. ET on CBS and CBS News 24/7. Download the free CBS News app for live coverage, post-debate analysis, comprehensive fact checks and more.
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National and Georgia state Democrats filed suit Monday to block a rule adopted 10 days ago by the Georgia State Election Board that would require hand counting of ballots in the election in November.
“The rule violates Georgia law for numerous reasons,” the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Party of Georgia wrote in their complaint, adding that it could introduce “uncertainty” into the effort to tally votes and delay certification of the state’s election results.
The board, which has a newly minted pro-Trump majority, approved a requirement on Sept. 20 that ballots be counted by hand after machines tally the votes. The rule would require trios of precinct poll managers and poll officers to unseal ballot boxes and count the ballots by hand individually to ensure the tallies match the machine-counted ballot totals.
In their lawsuit, Democrats asked a Georgia court to “swiftly block the rule’s implementation before it can go into effect and wreak havoc on the general election.”
In a statement, Vice President Kamala Harris’ principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks noted that some top Georgia Republican officials oppose the new hand count rule. The lawsuit cites comments made by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, claiming the new rule was unlikely to survive a legal challenge.
“We agree with Georgia’s Republican Attorney General and Secretary of State: This rule is unproductive and unlawful, and we are fighting it,” Fulks said. “Democrats are stepping in to ensure that Georgia voters can cast their ballots knowing that they will be counted in a free and fair election.”
Representatives for the Georgia State Election Board did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Supporters of the ballot-counting rule say it will increase public trust in elections by making them more transparent.
The Georgia election rules
At the meeting where the hand counting rule was passed earlier this month, a number of people addressed the board, lamenting that the rule could lead to more errors in calculating results. They also spoke of the challenges it would create for poll workers.
“Asking our election asking our election workers to do this on every voting day is asking for errors,” said Kristin Nabers, the state director for the nonpartisan organization All Voting is Local. “I’ve personally watched multiple counties conduct full hand counts over the past year. It’s normal that many times an hour we can expect small errors to be made, the type of thing where someone’s count is off by one or two, this would result in having to count again.”
Nabers had another woman standing next to her at the podium holding a large stack of papers. She said the 1,872 pages represented what a stack of ballots could look like on counting day. “I have someone helping me hold the stack because I was too worried it would fall on the floor and make a mess,” she said. “Like, imagine if those were ballots.”
Barbara Gooby, a poll manager from Chatham County, said the rule could “introduce huge opportunities for chaos, error, voter insecurity and therefore … lawsuits.”
On Monday, Rep. Nikema Williams, the chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, highlighted the role of three members of the election board who, like former President Donald Trump, have questioned the 2020 election results after he lost the state.
“Experts and non-partisan officials across Georgia have warned that this eleventh-hour election rule change will inject chaos, confusion and uncertainty into our elections — but that is exactly the outcome that Donald Trump’s three ‘pit bulls’ for ‘victory’ on the State Election Board want,” Williams said in a statement to CBS News.
During an Aug. 3 rally in Atlanta, Trump pointed out those election board members in the audience and thanked them by name, saying Janice Johnston, Rick Jaffares and Janelle King were “pit bulls” fighting for his cause. He also criticized the other two members of the board, saying “we have a couple of other members that aren’t so good.”
A bench trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday stemming from a separate lawsuit filed by Democrats, claiming two other rules passed by the board this year — on 3-2 votes — would delay certification.
One rule enables local county boards in Georgia’s 159 counties to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” before certifying the election results. The second rule allows them “to examine all election related documentation created during the conduct of elections.” It also allows them to make sure there are no discrepancies between the number of ballots cast and the number of people who voted.
Trump and others in his orbit were charged with felonies in August 2023 by the Fulton County district attorney, accused of racketeering and other crimes in their effort to overturn the 2020 election. He has denied all allegations. Several of the charges against Trump have since been dropped.