OPINION: J.D. Vance reveals his morality by flaunting Marjorie Taylor Greene’s endorsement

“Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene listens as senatorial candidate JD Vance speaks at a rally in Mason, Ohio, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022.” Photo by Jeff Dean, The Associated Press.

Danny Murnin is a freshman studying journalism and an opinion writer for The New Political.

Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.

Early last week, J.D. Vance, author of the bestselling book "Hillbilly Elegy" and U.S. Senate candidate, received an endorsement from a far-right, firebrand Southern lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene. 

Rep. Greene, of Georgia's 14th Congressional District, endorsed Vance on Jan. 25, calling him a "conservative warrior that the entire America First movement needs fighting for us in the U.S. Senate." Her endorsement is a much-needed boost for Vance in his bid for the 2022 open U.S. Senate seat in Ohio.

Normally, it would not be an issue for a Senate candidate to tout the endorsement of a prominent politician in their party. But Greene isn't just any other politician. She is one of Congress's most prominent election-truthers and anti-vaxxers. 

According to her past social media activity, Greene has regularly endorsed ridiculous conspiracy theories. Over the last few years, Greene has made statements indicating that at one time or another, the federal government is controlled by a globalist 'deep state' group of pedophiles who worship Satan, and that a 2018 California fire was started by a Jewish-funded space laser. Greene has also expressed support for executing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and stated that several deadly school shootings were staged events. 

The fact that Vance would accept an endorsement from such a controversial person speaks volumes about his character, but at the same time, doesn’t say anything new about him. Vance has always been an opportunist, well before he announced his candidacy. His book “Hillbilly Elegy,” the entire reason he is relevant, gained popularity with D.C. elitists who were desperate to understand why a person like Donald Trump could receive such strong support from rural white working class voters. 

Many saw Vance’s insight into the struggles faced by people in the Appalachian region as a way to understand the thoughts of those voters. Lost in all the attention on the book was the fact that it heavily contributes to harmful stereotypes surrounding the region and the people in it. Just like how he talks about and uses him home, touting Greene’s endorsement is a political and career necessity for him. Vance currently trails in the polls among the candidates aiming to replace retiring Sen. Rob Portman, also a Republican. Josh Mandel, former State Treasurer for eight years, narrowly leads, despite having little financial support. 

With former President Donald Trump yet to endorse anyone, there are still several candidates with a good shot at getting the nomination. However, Greene's endorsement of Vance will most likely lend him credibility with the Trump loyalists constituting the Republican base nowadays. Vance has faced criticism from other candidates for unfavorable comments he made about Trump during the 2016 campaign. 

However, Vance’s past statements are essentially irrelevant now. He has fully embraced the Trump lane during his campaign, and has shown that if elected, he would be a completely different lawmaker than Portman. While Portman has a reputation in Washington for being a level-headed, bipartisan dealmaker, Vance seems inclined to join the ranks of Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), where making noise and doing publicity stunts is more important than improving the country. 

Perhaps this is why Greene endorsed him. She seems entirely uninterested in passing rational legislation, and continues to treat her esteemed position in Congress like it is a part-time job in high school. The amount of money she has been fined for refusing to wear a mask on the House floor is greater than what the average American makes.

Whether or not Vance agrees with Greene on any of this, it is clear he does not care enough to disavow her rhetoric. In some cases, he matches it. Similarly to Greene, he expresses support for the dozens of rioters in jail awaiting trial for their role in the Jan. 6 insurrection rather than the law enforcement officers who were attacked on that day. Vance, who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, has also struck a firm line against vaccine mandates while Greene was banned from Twitter for a false and dangerous post suggesting that the COVID-19 vaccines have killed a high untold number of Americans.

I'd personally wager that Vance doesn't believe in half the things he says on the campaign trail. He knows the election was fair, and Jan. 6 was a tragic occurrence that resulted from the lies spread by the former President. He knows that his party's vaccine hesitancy contributes to the pandemic's continuation, and only says otherwise because it helps him with the types of voters who will decide the primary in May. He definitely knows people like Greene have no place in Congress.

But in politics today, especially in bitter primaries, winning is more important than doing what is right. Vance didn't have to flaunt the endorsement of a radical conspiracy theorist. He could have stuck to his roots of being a boy from Middletown who joined the Marines, studied at Yale Law School after, became wildly successful, and now wants to run for Senate to help improve the lives of people in the state not as fortunate as him. But Vance isn't an idiot. He knows he could never win a primary with that approach. That is why he needs Greene, along with all of her awfulness.