When a potential presidential candidate chooses a vice president as their running mate, they have to select one that they know has a good record, is articulate, especially on difficult issues, and has leadership characteristics that would be needed just in case something tragic happens and the vice president has to take over. Arguably, this choice is one of the most important decisions a United States president must make.

Of late, the choice of Governor Tim Walz by presidential candidate Kamala Harris has not exactly electrified the democratic electorate. Likewise, many initially believed that Donald Trump made a mistake when he chose Ohio Senator James David (JD) Vance over more mature men such as Florida Senator Marco Rubio or North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. Both of those men were seasoned and were of a respectable age. Vance had only been a US senator for a year and a half and was just 39 years old when Trump tapped him on the shoulder to be his VP.

I must admit, I was one of those skeptics as well. Yet after hearing the senator speak on Wednesday, October 16th, to a packed house in the Liberty Arena in downtown Williamsport, I was convinced. This guy is something special in more ways than one.

First of all, he got where he is today through very hard work. His childhood was marked by poverty and abuse. His father divorced his mother when he was just a toddler, and his mother struggled with drug addiction. He and his sister were primarily raised by their grandparents.

After graduating from high school in 2003, Vance joined the Marine Corps and, in 2005, was deployed to Iraq. After separating from the Marines in 2007 with two decorations, he went to Ohio State University, where he graduated summa cum laude in 2009 with a degree in political science and philosophy. From there, he went to Yale Law School, and again, with honors, he received a Juris Doctor degree in 2011.

His efforts through all this impressed one of her professors at Yale Law School, who recommended that he write a memoir of his life, which he did in 2016, entitled Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. It became a #1 New York Times Best Seller and was made into a Hollywood movie directed by Ron Howard in 2020.

At his Liberty Arena talk, Senator Vance made a few allusions to his past but did not highlight these aspects of his life. Instead, he talked about America and what he and Donald Trump hoped to do for the country. He covered a lot of ground in the space of an hour or so, and it seemed to me at least that the concerns about illegal immigration received the biggest response from the crowd.

Yet what impressed me the most was his skill of clear and expressive speech. It is very rare to hear a speaker who… well, just speaks. JD Vance had a way of talking to thousands, and it seemed like he was in a living room sharing thoughts with those around the room. I’ve been to many, many of these rallies over the years, and I cannot remember one where the speaker seemed so sincere, serious, and smart all at the same time.

Vance invited the press to ask questions in closing and though most were generic, there were two that were rather challenging; one was on abortion and the other was about the January 6th ‘insurrection’ and to what degree should Trump accept responsibility for it. The crowd booed over those questions, but Vance quieted the audience and calmly redirected the focus from the past to what is necessary to ensure such things that needed to be done to avoid this in the future, and that comes with election integrity. It was not a dodge, but one that is actually dealing with an issue the way it should be dealt with — looking forward rather than looking back.

JD Vance is truly unique. It is hard to imagine, but he is so young he was just a sophomore in high school when the 911 attacks took place. And now, here he is in 2024, the first millennial ever to be on a presidential ticket. Yet he also represents the past in that he has a beard, and no sitting US president or vice president has had a beard since President Benjamin Harrison, who served from 1889 to 1893. JD Vance is one for the ages. Donald Trump — I tip my hat — you know how to pick ‘em.