What is JD Vance’s educational background?

Donald Trump officially has a 2024 running mate in JD Vance, Ohio’s squirrelly junior senator and the latest threat to our democracy.

He’s nowhere near as big a danger as Trump, of course, but Vance’s new position as potential VP elevates him to the perfect position to do some damage. The MAGA crowd is happily embracing their Cheeto-in-Chief’s new crony, despite the harsh words he’s had for Trump in the past, but the rest of us still have questions.

There was never any chance that people in opposition to Trump were going to like his VP much (particularly given the options), but Vance is a solid, safe bet. He’s starkly opposed to gay marriage, supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and wants to ban pornography — all things that align with Trump’s general approach to politics — and he’s got the educational background to give the utterly incompetent Trump just the boost he needs.

Where did JD Vance go to school?

One of America’s two options for our next vice president, JD Vance is still relatively new to the political arena. His experience in the field pales massively in comparison to that of current Vice President Kamala Harris, whose tenure in the Senate and then the White House stretches back more than seven years. Vance, on the other hand, was first elected as Ohio’s junior senator in 2023, providing him with months of experience to Harris’ years.

Before he became a senator, however, Vance had a lengthy tenure in education as he pursued several different degrees. He attended high school in Middletown Ohio before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps, which saw him deployed for six months in Iraq. Following his return, he attended Ohio State University, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy, which he earned in 2009.

From there, Vance went on to study at Yale Law School, earning his Juris Doctor degree in 2013, just a few years before his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, was published. He’s since made a name for himself as a paleoconservative and unorthodox Republican, and one who initially gained some level of respect for his rejection of Trump. That all changed when he set his sights on a political future, however, and went completely out the window with his elevation to the role of running mate.