Born James David Bowman in Middletown, Ohio in 1984, Vance hails from a white, working-class family of mostly Scottish-Irish descent. Raised by his maternal grandparents in the Appalachian coal country, Vance's early life was shaped by one of the country's poorest regions, once a booming area.

Vance's journey began with a four-year stint in the Marines, including service in Iraq. After his military service, he attended Ohio State University, earning degrees in political science and philosophy. He then pursued a law degree at Yale Law School. Vance's memoir, *Hillbilly Elegy*, gained significant attention for its portrayal of the conservative white working class, offering insights into a demographic often overlooked.

In 2017, Vance returned to Ohio from California, where he had worked in biotech, and launched his venture capital firm with backing from PayPal founder Peter Thiel, a prominent libertarian and one of the few Republicans in Silicon Valley. Thiel later contributed $10 million to a committee supporting Vance's Senate candidacy in early 2021.

Vance's political journey took a notable turn when he joined the Senate race. He reversed his previous critical stance on Trump, apologizing for calling him "reprehensible" and echoing Trump's false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Vance once called anyone that voted Trump an idiot