The relative youth of Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), former President Trump's choice as a vice presidential candidate, "makes him relatively more likely to be supportive of criminal justice reform," writes Ohio State University law Prof. Douglas Berman on his Sentencing Law and Policy blog. Berman notes that Vance was "literally a child in the 'tough on crime' political era of the 1980s and early 1990s." Still, Vance has said little about crime and punishment issues (beyond immigration) in his political rise. Vance's 2022 Senate campaign website says he would "work to tackle the drug epidemic, eliminate the drugs coming into our community, and help those devastated by addiction. America is a country of second chances, and I’m proud to say that people in my own family have struggled with addiction for a decade before coming out on the other side of it. We need to ensure more second chances for Ohioans from all walks of life."
Talk of "second chances" is often heard from criminal justice reform advocates, though Vance seems focused on those struggling with drug addiction. Billionaire PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel was a big supporter of Vance during his Senate run, donating about $15 million — the largest amount ever to boost an individual Senate candidate, according to Politico. A one-time Thiel employee, Vance rose to prominence in 2016 when his memoir chronicling the social, economic and cultural effects of manufacturing’s decline in the Ohio town he grew up in, “Hillbilly Elegy,” was released. Thiel has actively invested in marijuana reform companies and vocally supported legalization.