Here's a look at J.D. Vance's Bay Area ties
PALO ALTO, Calif. - The newly minted Republican nominee for Vice President spent a chunk of time in the Bay Area.
Vance grew up in Ohio, then he entered the military, serving in the Marines. After attending Ohio State University, he got his law degree from Yale, then came into the San Francisco Bay area for about four years, working as a venture capitalist.
There, he made connections with prominent people in Silicon Valley, which he still holds to this day.
In June, Vance helped coordinate a San Francisco fundraiser for former President Donald Trump at the Pacific Heights mansion of billionaire David Sacks. It drew in about $12 million.
Vance spent about four years in the Bay Area right around the time President Trump rose to politics. Vance was critical of the former president during the 2016 election cycle, questioning his morals and declaring himself a "Never Trumper."
That changed when he moved back to Ohio in 2017, and over the years, Vance eventually earned an endorsement from Trump for his 2022 Senate bid.
Bay Area-based political science experts say there is a growing cross-road between Silicon Valley and politics, but it's hard to say if one party is winning the majority of tech and finance dollars.
"We've definitely seen a shift in Silicon Valley," said Melinda Jackson, a political science professor and Dean of Undergraduate Education at San Jose State University.
"We do have some real conservatives in the mix, including Peter Thiel who Vance worked with in the past. Elon Musk is definitely trending in that Republican-conservative direction. Historically, Silicon Valley was more Libertarian, then of course we have many more on the Progressive side. It's a mix-bagged. You can't pigeon-hole Silicon Valley with any political party."
While former President Trump thinsk Vance can help in key swing states, some experts suggest a vice-president nominee doesn't hold that much influence.
"Historically, V.P. nominees haven't really affected elections at all," said Peter Loge of George Washington University.
"It's a popular thing to say they're the number two on the ticket, they can deliver a state or a demographic or perspective, but political scientists found it doesn't happen. We all know who Donald Trump is, he's been a President, he's been running for President for a long time. A V.P. nominee doesn't change people's view of who he is."
During his time in San Francisco, Vance worked at Mithril Capital, a firm co-founded by former PayPal CEO and major Republican donor Peter Thiel.
Thiel previously donated to Vance's Senate bid, but has recently said he would not be donating any money to Trump's campaign for president this time around.
Vance's wife, Usha, also worked as a lawyer for a firm with offices in SF and DC. Minutes after the VP announcement, she and her firm announced her resignation from the job.