On Jan. 20, 2025, JD Vance will be sworn in as the nation’s 50th vice president, the third youngest in history behind John Breckenridge and Richard Nixon. His ascent from the hills of Kentucky to Ohio’s industries, Iraq’s battlefields and Yale Law captures a classic American success story. Having been poor and rich, anti-Trump and pro-Trump, civilian and soldier, Vance leaves Americans wondering: Who will he become next?
The answer might be the most powerful vice president in American history. Vance could use his intellectual prowess, congressional and venture capitalist relationships, and competitive roots to expand the power of the vice presidency and lead America in a new direction.
Vance’s historic path to power resembles another vice president from the hills, Lyndon Johnson. Johnson’s path to power led him from a tough life in the Texas Hill Country to the House of Representatives by 26, the Senate by 40, Senate majority leader by 46, and vice president by 52. Johnson leveraged relationships and tipped the scales of power in his favor to fulfill his ambitions.
In 1937, while running for the House of Representatives, Johnson received critical financial support from Herman Brown of Brown & Root. While in the House and Senate, Johnson built bonds with future Speaker Sam Rayburn from Texas and Richard Russel Jr. from Georgia. Johnson and his wife Ladybird frequently entertained (separately) bachelors with large political capital. The dinners they held created an informal space for Johnson to seek advice and discuss political strategy.
Vance met Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist and “techno-libertarian,” at a lecture in 2011. He called it “the most significant moment of my time at Yale Law School.” He would join Thiel’s venture capital firm, Mithril Capital, and later co-found Narya Capital with significant investment from Thiel. And during Vance’s 2022 Senate run, Thiel invested $15 million to help Vance close the financial gap between him and his competitors and secure victory.
In a short time, Vance has formed “a lot of current allies in the Senate,” including Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). He also has a strong relationship with Donald Trump Jr., Cabinet nominee Marco Rubio, and New Right thinkers such as Patrick Deneen and the president of the Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts.
While in the Senate, Johnson effectively leveraged his relationships and worked across party lines, building coalitions and passing legislation. He believed, “Power is where power goes.” As vice president, Johnson planned to use his senatorial influence to act as a bridge from the White House to Congress. With the help of the new Senate majority leader, Mike Mansfield, Johnson wanted to be elected chairman of the Democratic Conference.
But Johnson overplayed his hand, and the plan failed. Despite the setback, during the 87th Congress, Johnson helped pass JFK’s New Frontier initiatives, but his role was limited due to his competitive relationship with Robert Kennedy Jr.
The hand that Vance holds is arguably stronger than the one that Johnson had. Vance will serven under an aging lame-duck president instead of a young, vibrant, once-in-a-generation leader. Vance’s relationships with Silicon Valley donors paid for the campaign. The slim majorities mean President-elect Donald Trump will rely on Vance and his relationships in the Senate to confirm his Cabinet picks. Unlike Johnson, who was outside Kennedy’s inner circle, Vance is at the center of Trump’s.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) resignation leaves a leadership void in the Senate — a vacuum Vance is uniquely positioned to fill. Like Johnson, McConnell was a master of Senate procedure and a fundraising powerhouse. Vance could step into this space by frequently presiding over Senate sessions, learning procedures, engaging in policy negotiations, leveraging his relationships to broker key policy deals, and using his tie-breaking vote strategically. Additionally, Vance’s connections to Silicon Valley donors position him to become the GOP’s new fundraising linchpin.
If Trump recognizes Vance’s growing influence and reacts unpredictably, Vance’s position as vice president would make him the only person in Trump’s inner circle who cannot be fired. Vance’s leverage could extend even to invoking the 25th Amendment if circumstances demanded it. Trump was a notoriously erratic executive in his first term and was impeached twice. Suppose Trump goes off script again and becomes destructive to himself, the party, or the country. It’s not a far stretch to believe that Vance could leverage his relationships with a majority of the Cabinet to remove him from office.
Political power is a thinking man’s game run by money, built on relationships, and empowered by people. Vance’s success story from the hills of Kentucky to the Vice Presidency shows he has the potential to wield that power in ways never seen before.
Vance has relationships in Congress and with donors, and he represents a part of America that has been forgotten by the “WASPs of the Northeast.” He can upstage Johnson and be the bridge from Congress to the White House, helping pass much-needed immigration reform and getting the debt under control.
Vance stands at a crossroads. With his unique alliances and a finger on the pulse of unrepresented America, he has the potential to redefine the vice presidency. Whether he chooses to build bridges or consolidate power will shape not only his legacy but also the nation’s future.
Jeff Mayhugh is the founding editor of Politics and Parenting and vice president at No Cap Fund.
