The Internet Is Obsessed With the Meaning Behind "JV Vance" in Reference to the VP Candidate

In politics, some things just catch on faster than others. And during the 2024 presidential race, there are nicknames flying around that the Republicans and Democrats, and everyone in between, have taken note of. This includes JV Vance, which is an apparent nickname for vice presidential candidate JD Vance. But what is the meaning behind JV Vance, and does Vance even know about it?

Thanks to social media, more people than ever are privy to the details of the November 2024 election and of the politicians representing both sides. When Kamala Harris named Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, he stepped up in a major way, including making some comments that prompted Harris to declare him a much more formidable speaker than his opponent, Vance. And that's where it all began.

When Harris and Walz spoke at a Temple University address in Philadelphia, Harris took to the podium and compared Walz's thoughts and expression to Vance's. According to Harris, "Some might say, it's like a match-up between the varsity team and the JV squad." Many took this to mean she was referring to former President Donald Trump and Vance as the JV, or Junior Varsity squad, which is the lesser of the two.

Since "JV" is close to "JD," the nickname of "JV Vance" was born. One user on Twitter wrote, "This is the week it crumbles for him and it won't be the couch joke. It will be the wonderful irony that Kamala's implied JV Vance nickname couldn't be more correct. This man is *not* ready for prime time. Never was. Never will be. He is *so* JV." Another user tweeted, "Do we start calling him JV Vance now? Junior Varsity Vance?"

Another point some Harris and Walz supporters are sharing is that Vance changed his name multiple times in his life. Therefore, it isn't out of the scope of possibilities for Vance's "new" name to be JV Vance. At least, in the eyes of the opposition, anyway. Outside of the nickname, there are public records that indicate Vance changed his name more than once throughout his life.

Vance was born as James Donald Bowman. When his mother, divorced his father, remarried, she changed Vance's name to James David Hamel to match the last name of his new stepfather. He would eventually go by his first initials — J.D., and later, JD without the periods — and shortly before he graduated from Yale, he changed his last name to match that of his grandmother.

Since then, his name has remained consistent. But now, Vance can add JV Vance to his running list of monikers. Though it wouldn't be surprising if this is one name change that Vance would rather not embrace.