JD Vance's grandparents are central to his story. More on his 'mawmaw'
The vice presidential candidates are gearing up for their first debate on Tuesday night, just five weeks before the Nov. 5 election.
The Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, and the Ohio senator, JD Vance, will meet on stage for the 90-minute debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City and make their case for the candidates at the top of each ticket, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump.
Before his entrance into the political sphere, Vance made waves with his 2016 memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," which was adapted into a Netflix film in 2020 and told the story of his humble and turbulent upbringing in Middletown, Ohio.
Tune into the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 9 p.m. ET on CBS or simulcast on www.usatoday.com.
Throughout his early childhood, Vance’s mother, Beverly, struggled with substance abuse and addiction. In a 2017 interview with NBC's Megyn Kelly, Vance recalled a car ride with his mother when he was 12 in which, she threatened to kill them both. Following this incident, his mother was arrested, and Vance went to live with his maternal grandmother.
In his nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, he spoke about Bonnie Vance, his tough-as-nails "Mawmaw" who originally hailed from the “heart of southeastern Kentucky’s coal region,” per Politico.
Later in his half-hour-long speech, Vance told the story of sorting through his grandmother's belongings after her death in 2015, and finding 19 loaded handguns.
"They were stashed all over her house," Vance said. "Under her bed, in her closet, in the silverware drawer. And we wondered what was going on, and it occurred to us that towards the end of her life, Mamaw couldn't get around so well. And so this frail, old woman made sure that no matter where she was, she was within arm's length of whatever she needed to protect her family."
While the story of Vance's childhood is compelling, he may have to work to connect with the public, as polls show he is viewed more unfavorably than Walz.
A Pew Research Center poll this month showed 34% of Americans view Vance favorably, while 42% view him unfavorably. Walz was viewed favorably by 39% of Americans, while 33% had an unfavorable opinion.
Reuters contributed to the reporting of this story.