Vance’s voting record: How Trump VP pick could sway Middle East policy

Megan Mineiro

Jul 18, 2024

U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). — The Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), speaks on stage on the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. — Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance’s voting record reflects the “America First” foreign policy approach he took from the Senate floor to the Republican National Convention this week.

Former US President and present Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s running mate is a first-term senator who pans the “foreign policy establishment” and calls for decisive action in the Middle East and close ties to Israel.

“Together, we will make sure our allies share in the burden of securing world peace. No more free rides for nations that betray the generosity of the American taxpayer. Together, we will send our kids to war only when we must. But as (former) President Trump showed with the elimination of ISIS (Islamic State) and so much more, when we punch, we’re gonna punch hard,” Vance said in his RNC speech Wednesday night.

Sworn into office in 2023, Vance has served one year and seven months in Congress. But in that short period, the junior senator has cast votes that give insight into how he could sway Middle East policy in a second Trump presidency.