* Lynn Sweet at the Sun-Times…
[Sen. J.D. Vance] is the reason there is no Senate-confirmed top federal prosecutor in Chicago. Remember that when the Trump-Vance ticket talks about crime. […]
Standing up for law enforcement is not what Vance did when it came to the Senate confirming April Perry to be the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. Vance put a hold on Perry to protest the federal prosecutions of Trump, well beyond the time needed to make his point.
Starting in June 2023, Vance used the power a single senator has —and stalled a confirmation vote for Perry. His hold dragged on for so long that Sen. Dick Durbin, the Illinois Democrat who chairs the Judiciary Committee — and who was Perry’s chief Senate champion — moved on as the months rolled by. […]
I asked Tracy about Vance blocking the confirmation vote for a U.S. attorney in Chicago.
Said Tracy, “Nobody’s perfect. There’s no perfect person. There’s no perfect candidate. There’s no perfect vice president candidate. I think he’s going to be a good one.”
* Tribune…
Illinois delegates to the Republican National Convention on Monday said former President Donald Trump’s choice of U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate provides another shot of adrenaline to an already energized campaign while also giving a boost to the GOP ticket in a key Midwestern state. […]
Outgoing Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy said Vance “should be good for the military vote, the working man’s vote, working women’s vote, the Midwest vote and the youth vote.”
State Sen. Andrew Chesney, a delegate from Freeport, said Vance could help Republicans pick up votes in swing states such as Wisconsin and Michigan. […]
“I think four years of mentorship under President Trump could very well set him up to be the president after that,” said Darren Bailey, a delegate and former Illinois state senator.
* Sun-Times…
Earlier, Illinois delegates said they were happy with Trump’s VP selection. U.S. Rep. Mike Bost called Vance “a person who has worked up from nothing in life to understand how the American dream works.”
“He will be a great vice president. He will be able to take over on Day 1, unlike our current vice president,” said Bost, a Trump delegate for his 12th Congressional District. “I think it’s a great choice.”
Illinois state Sen. Terri Bryant, R- Murphysboro, said Trump’s pick can “bring in some of the young folks that we really want to target.”
“I’m excited about the fact that, ya know, four years from now, we wanna have someone positioned to be the 48th president of the United States,” said Bryant, an at-large delegate.
* NBC Chicago…
Former Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin is sharing his thoughts on the nomination of Ohio Sen. JD Vance as former President Donald Trump’s running mate, and on how the former president should proceed after this weekend’s horrific shooting. […]
“The most important thing President Trump can do is stand up and say ‘let’s hit the reset button.’ The rhetoric and actions of people over the past years have contributed to the violence we’ve seen on a regular basis. It’s becoming commonplace,” he said. “This is not the way we should be advancing the issues and the candidates. It should be about issues. It should be about organizing your people. Right now it’s about destruction, and breaking down the opponent, and it’s just wrong.” […]
The former Republican lawmaker says that the decision to nominate Vance will have a temporary effect on the party, but that ultimately the decision will come down to Trump vs. President Joe Biden.
“I think he’s going to be a very good functionary for Donald Trump. He speaks the party line, comes from a state that’s in play, but at the end of the day, it’s going to be Donald Trump or President Biden,” he said. “This is going to be excitement at the convention and certain areas of the Rust Belt for a little bit, but soon enough we’ll get back to Donald Trump vs. presumably Joe Biden.”
* Capitol News Illinois…
After news broke of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance being tapped as Trump’s vice-presidential running mate, Rep. John Cabello told Capitol News Illinois he supports the choice.
“He’s got a great story, he came from nothing. You know, he’s self-made. The man worked his tail off,” Cabello said. “Yeah, I think that’s a good fit for the story. It’s the same thing that Trump did you know, work your tail off, build yourself and you know he’s very knowledgeable. I think it’s a great pick.”
Cabello, a longtime feature of conservative Illinois politics, was one of the first elected officials to back Trump in 2016, going to that year’s convention in Cleveland and delivering the speech casting Illinois’ votes for Trump.
* NBC Chicago…
Following Trump’s announcement, reaction was swift, with Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison released a statement saying “stakes of this election just got even higher” with Vance’s name being added to the ticket.
Harrison went on to say Vance has supported some Trump’s “worst policies” and a Trump-Vance ticket would undermine our democracy, our freedoms and our future. He concluded the statement by saying reelecting Joe Biden and Kalama Harris is “more important than ever.”
In Illinois, several top Democrats were critical of the choice, including Gov. JB Pritzker. Pritzker’s thread on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, begins with “Who is JD Vance” and goes on to refer to him as an “anti-abortion activist,” someone who “voted against IVF access” and more.
Rep. Sean Casten, a representative for Illinois’ sixth district, has not made a public statement, but has reposted multiple posts about Vance’s history of anti-Trump comments and criticisms of his books.
* Democratic Party of Illinois…
- Pundent - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 10:14 am:
As several commenters noted yesterday, there’s no counterbalance in this pick. It’s simply a loyalty choice. A second Trump term is all about choosing allies who will be 100% loyal to the President. And predictably the party will fall in line behind these choices as imperfect as they may be.
- clec dcn - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 10:16 am:
Pritzker and the dems will be laser focused on JD Vance and his views clearly, they will attack. Myself I thought it was a great pick obviously it does not affect how Illinois will vote in the election.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 10:23 am:
What Pundent said.
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 10:23 am:
Meh. Vance is more an opportunist than anything else. I think Trump got snookered.
- City Zen - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 10:30 am:
Trump skipping over Gen X is so very Gen X.
- low level - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 10:35 am:
==It’s the same thing that Trump did you know, work your tail off, build yourself and you know he’s very knowledgeable. I think it’s a great pick.”==
Rep Cabello, you must be kidding. Donnie Trump inherited a fortune from his father which had everything to do with his being successful. The notion that Donnie “pulled himself up by his bootstraps” is absurd.
- H-W - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 10:36 am:
If coming from nothing is a criterion for politics, about 13% of Americans currently live in poverty. If “rising up from poverty” by joining the military and then using the GI bill to go to college is a career path for political success, JD Vance is nothing special. But if getting rich in capital markets and writing a self-aggrandizing autobiography by the age of 30 is the ticket, then JD Vance looks remarkably similar to DJ Trump.
There is nothing special about JD Vance, except his ego and his desire for powerful in the absence of qualification. Here again, he looks like DJ Trump.
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 10:37 am:
JD Vance is 39 years old and was elected to the Senate in 2022 and has only served 18 months at this point.
It is worth pointing out that all of those times that Republicans attached democratic candidates for being inexperienced that they only cared about experience when the candidate was a person of color or a woman.
Turns out it was never really about experience.
- Amalia - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 10:55 am:
I loathe Vance. corporatist politics claiming to be so for the people of his early life. but those who think Harris is gonna school him in the debate cause look at how she grilled Kavanaugh should recall Kavanaugh is in office. And Vance is not stupid, he is a grad of Yale Law. except for the fact that Trump does not need the pick to help him win a state, I think this was a good pick for VP for them as much as I loathe both of them and all the Project 2025 plans of the Republican Party.
- DuPage Saint - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 10:56 am:
I am so happy someone got onto a Presidential ticket that is not geriatric. Please let the torch be passed to a new generation in both parties and i don’t mean to 60 year olds
- H-W - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 11:01 am:
@ DuPage Saint
Fifty-nine years old is not geriatric. Not even close. Just sayin’
- Emma - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 11:01 am:
Bost doesn’t believe a qualified African-American women with more legislative experience than JD can be president. Way to whoo the female vote bozo.
- Jurist - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 11:05 am:
I think there’s more of a story to Perry than what’s been covered so far. Her confirmation process would have turned into a Republican feeding frenzy on her time at the CCSAO. I don’t think any Illinois Democrat power player wanted that. If Durbin wanted to put all his chips on the table to get her seated, she would have been seated.
- Save Ferris - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 11:10 am:
“J.D. Vance is the reason there is no Senate-confirmed top federal prosecutor in Chicago. Remember that when the Trump-Vance ticket talks about crime.”
Also talk about it when it comes to Donnie’s tax bill on his building here.
- Lincoln Lad - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 11:11 am:
Another in a long line of bad Trump decisions on people. Vance marginally helps in Ohio, but Trump likely wins Ohio with any choice. I don’t think Vance helps with anything but fund raising in Silicon Valley. I guess that’s something… and is likely a key reason for the choice.
- The Truth - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 11:13 am:
“He will be a great vice president. He will be able to take over on Day 1, unlike our current vice president,” said Bost
this is weapons-grade absurdity from Bost
- Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 11:17 am:
May not be the smartest move, if Democrats or Biden can improve, which they must figure out and in short time. It’s a MAGA rural ticket, and Trump did lousy in the suburbs in this year’s primaries. Would have thought Trump would pick an African-American or woman, since those are key demographics. Running just on MAGA has not worked out at all.
- Tom Gasman - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 11:20 am:
I was hoping for Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina. I thought his experience in the Senate would be of benefit. However a US Marine who served four years active duty who graduated from Yale will do fine. Better prepared than Vice President Harris.
- TJ - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 11:42 am:
Remember when the GOP was complaining about Biden picking Harris for only having four years of national experience, or painting Obama as inexperienced for only have four years of national experience as well?
Guess that complaint goes out the window when your team picks less.
Also, was really hoping that the first millennial candidate on a major party ticket would be slightly less of a jerk.
- Steve - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 11:48 am:
There’s little empirical evidence from academic political science that voters vote or even consider the VP pick when voting for president.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 11:48 am:
==Better prepared than Vice President Harris==
Kamala Harris has a juris doctor and served in local office and has been a U.S. Senator for 5 years. Why do you think that makes her less qualified than Vance. Only through your hyper-partisan lense does that equate to less qualified than Vance.
Look, I applaud people for their military service but that doesn’t factor into my thought process at all when looking at a candidate. Military service doesn’t make one more qualified than someone who has not served.
- Lurker - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 12:04 pm:
The Dems need to criticize Vance and his environment stance. That’s where I think he is the biggest danger and will be an influencer.
- Mason County - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 12:20 pm:
His nomination makes no difference as to whether Illinois goes for Trump or Biden. Illinois is solid blue at the Presidential level.
Could be more positive in some downstate areas particularly blue collar workers. Following as just published in the Business Insider and is something that is being ignored- but potentially important:
Vance said he was seated next to a CEO of a major hotel chain at dinner whom he described as a “caricature of a business executive, complaining about how he was forced to pay his workers higher wages.”
The CEO was complaining about the labor market and how Trump’s actions at the border had impacted his relationship with his employees.
Vance told the Times the CEO then turned to him and said, “Well, you understand this as well as anybody. These people just need to get off their asses, come to work and do their job. And now, because we can’t hire immigrants, or as many immigrants, we’ve got to hire these people at higher wages.”
When recounting the moment to the Times, Vance said, “The fact that this guy saw me as sympathetic to his problem, and not the problem of the workers, made me realize that I’m on a train that has its own momentum, and I have to get off this train, or I’m going to wake up in 10 years and really hate everything that I’ve become.”
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 12:24 pm:
This pick will *finally* give Trump an opportunity to appeal to the angry, conservative, white, male voter.
– MrJM
- Lurker - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 12:26 pm:
And for those saying they thought Trump would select more diversity for the ticket, you do not understand the modern Republican. I could go on this explanation for a long time but I’ll simply say Ann Coulter is not considered extreme for what she says about Vivek Ramaswamy and the Bible tells many of them that only men should lead. You know, maybe that’s not an oversimplification as most anything i could add, would be redundant to those two points.
- Original Rambler - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 12:39 pm:
What Amalia said. I think a smart pick. I fear the possibility of a Trump administration with a GOP…strike that…a MAGA Congress and (as has been made clear) a MAGA Supreme Court.
- Blitz - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 1:08 pm:
It almost feels to me like there were only two reasons Vance was selected, that he wouldn’t upset anyone on the right, and his age aka youth. Not good enough for me, I have massive problems with Vances public record.
- Frida's boss - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 1:16 pm:
Vance is a smart pick. He’s not winning Illinois but that’s a given. He will do well in the Blue wall states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Guessing that’s why Trump made the pick. Bonus Trump cheerleader, Vivek, is from Ohio if Vance wins they can get Vivek in to the Senate and continue the long game.
- Quibbler - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 1:34 pm:
To all the folks saying Vance is going to sweep working class or rural areas: take a look at his electoral results in Ohio in 2022. The areas where he underperformed worst were in coal country. If he were running in a slightly more purple state, he’d have been toast. Mitch McConnell had to dump cash into Vance’s race to keep Ohio from flipping blue. Media myth-making aside, this is not a guy who has some magical connection with working class voters.
- Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Jul 16, 24 @ 2:21 pm:
“Remember that when the Trump-Vance ticket talks about crime.”
The mother of all hypocrisy. This is why so much of America is lost morally.