US election: Trump names JD Vance as running mate

Former President Donald Trump has named 39-year-old Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate for the next US general election.

Trump made his greatly anticipated and high-stakes announcement on Monday as the Republican National Convention kicked off in Wisconsin.

“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump announced on his Truth Social platform.

Trump stressed that Vance, on the campaign trail, “will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly, for the American Workers and Farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond.”

Fox News reports that Vance hails from Ohio, a one-time battleground state the former president comfortably carried in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

The senator’s selection is expected to boost Trump among working-class Democrats.