Survey: D.C. Consultant Class, K Street Lobbyists Fear Populist JD Vance

Senior Capitol Hill staffers and K Street lobbyists, both hoping for the status quo to continue in Washington, DC, seemingly despise Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) as former President Donald Trump’s running mate, a survey revealed in July.

The Canvass/Punchbowl News poll was taken at the Republican National Convention (RNC) and surveyed nearly 200 D.C. senior staffers and K Street lobbyists — often referred to as “The Swamp.”

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Almost 90 percent of D.C. staffers and lobbyists said they did not want Vance as the Republican vice-presidential nominee, preferring former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), or Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is a former private equity executive.

The survey is a testament to Vance’s populist credentials.

In his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, this week, for example, Vance blasted the federal government’s free trade policy — widely advocated by lobbyists in D.C. — allowing China to dominate pharmaceutical manufacturing.

“Think about this, do you know where 95 percent of the ibuprofen, Advil… you know where it’s manufactured? China. [Do] you know where the gross majority of the antibiotics that we put into the bodies of our children come from? China,” Vance said.

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“I got to be honest with you, I don’t trust a damn plastic toy coming from China,” Vance continued. “I sure as hell don’t trust the drugs that we put into the bodies of our children. Let’s make our own stuff.”

D.C. staffers and lobbyists join the list of establishment types who oppose Vance’s populism. As Breitbart News reported, big money donors, wealthy Wall Street brokers, and old-guard neoconservatives are fretting over the prospect of Vance being vice president.

“He represents something in the country that the coastal elites and big business have taken too long to recognize,” a lobbyist for big banks told the Financial Times.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow him on Twitter here.