Sen. JD Vance promised not to forget where he came from, referring to the Rust Belt, when speaking at the RNC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Kentucky was also a significant state for Vance, as he spent a portion of his childhood there with his grandmother, "Mamaw." The state, which differs from the others as it traditionally votes red, was also mentioned by the Republican four times.
Vance also referenced three times the pivotal Midwestern battleground state of Wisconsin, where the Republican National Convention is taking place.
His heavy emphasis on these Rust Belt states comes as former President Trump has already signaled his intent to use Vance to his advantage in Midwestern swing states.
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Sen. JD Vance at Ohio train derailment site. (Sen. JD Vance)
The senator also made headlines when he joined striking United Auto Workers members in Toledo, Ohio, breaking from a traditionally anti-union Republican Party stance.
Both Trump and Vance appear to see the Ohio Republican as a key to relating to disaffected White workers in the Rust Belt. In a 2016 interview following his memoir's release, Vance explained, "I may be White, but I do not identify with the WASPs of the Northeast. Instead, I identify with the millions of working-class White Americans of Scots-Irish descent who have no college degree."
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Striking United Auto Workers members picket outside the Stellantis Jeep plant, in Toledo, Ohio, on Sept. 19, 2023. (Reuters/Rebecca Cook)
"To these folks, poverty's the family tradition. Their ancestors were day laborers in the southern slave economy, sharecroppers after that, coal miners after that, and machinists and mill workers during more recent times. Americans call them hillbillies, rednecks or White trash. I call them neighbors, friends and family," he said at the time.
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In his Wednesday remarks, Vance made a promise to this very group. "To the people of Middletown, Ohio, and all the forgotten communities in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, in Ohio, and every corner of our nation. I promise you this. I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from," he said.
Shortly after the announcement of Vance as Trump's running mate, the campaign announced an indoor rally in Michigan this Saturday, when both Trump and Vance will speak to voters at a rally in Grand Rapids. The event will notably be the first rally since the attempted assassination of Trump at an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.
Follow Julia's reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to Julia.Johnson@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/jd-vance-numbers-first-speech-signals-heavy-campaign-presence-battleground-rust-belt