Vice President Kamala Harris’s choice of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) as running mate solidifies the presidential race’s jump to either end of the political spectrum. When former President Donald Trump chose Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) for his running mate, surprise rang out at the choice of a non-centrist, and the same echoes bounced off the pick of Walz. It remains to be seen whether a move further left or right will strengthen the polling of either presidential hopeful, but it is clear what groups their nominations target.

Though he aligns well as a Trumpist, Vance falls further right than the candidate in policy and persona. He is true to Trump on immigration and foreign policy — these are standards that should not have been broken no matter whom Trump chose, while convictions on everything else were reasonably fair game. On the surface, Vance’s position as family-focused and outwardly Catholic makes him a figure consistent in his conservatism, one who gives an impression of the sort of virtue Trump’s personal life seems to lack. The senator’s stances on taxes and abortion express this preference most clearly: He voted in favor of the child tax credit, exhibiting his commitment to advocating family. On abortion, Vance has made it known he is greatly opposed to it, much more so than adherence to the Trump-influenced GOP platform allows.