 Just a couple of hours before that moment, the former president named Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his vice presidential pick. The 39-year-old former Marine and Yale graduate became famous with his book-turned-movie, Hillbilly Elegy, about a life in poverty with a drug-addicted parent. A main overall convention theme in light of the party platform is America's Forgotten Men and Women. And throughout Monday night, several speakers billed as everyday Americans were invited to speak about their struggles with affording housing,