There are a lot of parallels between the paths of J.D. Vance and Pete Buttigieg.
Though close to the same age, Vance (40) and Buttigieg (42) don’t superficially seem to have much in common. Vance grew up in a dysfunctional white working class world. Buttigieg was the child of Notre Dame college professors with big political ambitions from an early age.
But put childhoods behind, and see that both of them were on the elite professional-managerial fast track to the top via the standard series of résumé building activities.
Buttigieg went to Harvard, interned for a Democratic politician, was Rhodes Scholar, did a stint at McKinsey, served in Afghanistan as an intelligence officer in the Naval Reserves, ran for Indiana state treasurer, then did two terms as mayor of South Bend before running for President and landing a position as Secretary of Transportation in the Biden administration.
Vance served in Iraq while enlisted in the Marines, went to a state school where he worked for a Republican politician, then to Yale Law, a stint in big law and venture capital, wrote a political memoir, started a non-profit in Ohio, launched his own VC fund, then got elected to the Senate and is now the Republican nominee for Vice President.
There are definitely differences but a lot of similarities as well: both obviously highly ambitious and motivated, both deployed to a combat theater in the military, both with elite education, both with relatively short stints in elite business, both winning and holding elected office - even both Midwest/Rust Belt guys. Remember, Pete Buttigieg originally pitched himself as someone who understood the Rust Belt thanks to being mayor of post-industrial South Bend.
Read the rest of this piece at Aaron Renn Substack.
Aaron M. Renn is an opinion-leading urban analyst, consultant, speaker and writer on a mission to help America's cities and people thrive and find real success in the 21st century. He focuses on urban, economic development and infrastructure policy in the greater American Midwest. He also regularly contributes to and is cited by national and global media outlets, and his work has appeared in many publications, including the The Guardian, The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Photo: JD Vance by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0; Pete Buttigieg by Phil Roeder, CC BY 2.0
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