As I’ve noted before, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) has risen to the occasion since becoming GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s running mate in late July, from the way he’s handled the liberal media’s talking points to the way he refuses to back down from a fight and comes armed with receipts so he can start dropping them on his critics when challenged.
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Then there was his beast mode performance at the veep debate, where he made mincemeat of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris is desperately relying on to help her win over male voters, who are flocking to support the Trump-Vance ticket in droves.
But while Walz’s reported role in part has been to try and assure male voters (as if they need it) that manliness won’t be a thing of the past in America if the Harris-Walz team is elected, Vance’s actual manly demeanor and style has been on full display in recent events, including one Thursday in North Carolina.
Vance was in Greensboro for a town hall-style campaign stop that also featured former professional racing star Danica Patrick interviewing him, with the Senator also taking questions from the audience. While Vance was of course critical of the Democrat ticket, one moment during the event stood out from the rest.
As Vance was listening to someone talking, a woman could be heard behind him letting out a scream. Vance was immediately on alert and got up to see what the problem was, asking if she was okay. Moments later, he quipped, “Kamala Harris built this platform behind us, that’s what happened” before again asking if she was okay.
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“We doing okay, ma’am? We good?”
Watch:
Now, I’m sure that woman was probably mortified as the situation unfolded but once she got home she had quite the story to tell, didn’t she? I can just hear it now.
“JD Vance came to my rescue! You shoulda seen those blue eyes.”
Come on ladies, you know that’d be exactly how you’d frame it, too, if you had been in her shoes!
If y’all think I’m just joking, just remember, after the vice presidential debate talk turned in certain, ahem, circles to Vance’s eyes as though voters were just discovering their blue color.
And though yes that’s a superficial thing and has nothing to do with a candidate’s position on the issues, as my colleague Nick Arama said at the time, “It’s the intelligence and the policy that are the important things, but this definitely is also a plus.”
I think that especially holds true when you see a candidate/politico project the utmost confidence in themselves and their abilities without coming across as arrogant about it.
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It is something we also saw just a few days ago with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis when he point-blank declared “Just let me be clear, we run the show” and “I’m the sheriff that’s in charge here, and we will make sure to protect you. Don’t worry about it.” This was said in response to people who had concerns about how FEMA would do things in Florida after Hurricane Milton.
People should not underestimate the power of these moments, and the calm they elicit from voters in emergency situations (in Vance’s case) or in a time of crisis (in DeSantis’ case). They’re endearing and genuine enough that it might just cause a fence sitter to finally jump off and pick a side.
As Nick Arama also said, “When you’re in a tough battle, every little bit helps.” That was true yesterday, was true today, and will be true on Election Day, too.
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