By Jeff Stein, The Washington PostSen. J.D. Vance speaks at the Capitol in May. MUST CREDIT: Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post as the GOP’s vice-presidential nominee reflects the ascendancy of the party’s populist economic wing - and the choice is alarming traditional conservative policymakers and elite donors who opposed the pick.
Vance’s predecessor, former senator Rob Portman , was also viewed as closely allied with the party’s traditional GOP policymakers. “He has a lot of unconventional views on the economic front that run contrary to a lot of things conservative Republicans have traditionally stood for,” said one GOP strategist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reflect private conversations, in an interview before the selection was announced. “Major donors and business leaders will be dismayed if he’s the vice-presidential pick.
Democrats also say the break represented by the new GOP vanguard is overstated. Vance may nod in a more populist direction, but is likely to march in lockstep behind a Trump agenda heavily favored by big business groups, they say. Vance has not yet backed anywhere near the scale of government intervention Democrats