The Importance of JD Vance’s Victory for Foreign Policy Restrainers

JD Vance’s victory on May 3, 2022 has caused a shockwave within the Republican Party. He picked up 32% of the vote running on an unapologetic national populist platform. 

Vance set himself apart from his opposition by campaigning on a relatively non-interventionist platform. As a former Marine, Vance understands war and the damage misguided conflicts abroad do to the nation’s social fabric.  

For him, it’s important for the US to get tougher on its border with Mexico rather than preserving Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Illegal alien invaders, drug traffickers, and human traffickers are blowing past the border with virtual impunity.

Uncontrolled inflows of illegal aliens is also accompanied by a massive deluge of lethal drugs that are taking their toll on America. This is the real national security threat to America, not Russia.

So far, the Russo-Ukrainian War has witnessed a frightening degree of foreign policy consensus crystallize in Washington DC. With the exception of a few House members, there has been very little opposition to the host of sanctions, military aid packages and other forms of assistance designed to escalate tensions with Russia.

In both chambers of Congress, all these anti-Russia measures passed with relative ease.

A Vance victory would be the first step towards changing this uniparty consensus. 

In the Ohio Republican primary, Vance was the only candidate who opposed the implementation of a no-fly zone over Ukraine and stuck to his non-interventionist guns. 

Vance’s victory is a good first step for foreign policy restrainers and non-interventionists. The fight to move towards a humbler foreign policy will not be a walk in the park and it will take gradual victories like Vance’s in Ohio to realize this goal. 

The national populist wave that Donald Trump created through his 2016 victory offers a new set of opportunities for disruptive candidates to shine and remake the GOP in their own image. Now, it’s just a matter of non-interventionist candidates picking up on this trend and exploiting it as much as possible.