Who is JD Vance’s sister? What we know about Lindsay Lewis Ratliff

On January 21, 2025By Littum

President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will soon be sworn into office for Trump’s second term.

The presidential inauguration will take place on Monday, January 20 in Washington, DC. Inauguration Day events begin with the dedication ceremony at noon ET.

Before being tapped to be Trump’s 2024 running mate, Vance, who grew up in Jackson, Kentucky, and Middletown, Ohio, rose to fame with his best-selling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which details his experiences with poverty and abuse during his upbringing. The book was adapted into a film that was released in 2020.

Since Trump revealed his pick, Vance, who currently lives in Cincinnati’s East Walnut Hills neighborhood, has been thrust even more into the national spotlight. So it’s not surprising that people are raising questions about Vance’s family and childhood.

Here’s what we know about Vance’s siblings.

JD Vance, vice president-elect, will be sworn in as the 50th vice president on Monday.

Does JD Vance have siblings?

Yes. Vance has one sister, Lindsay Lewis Ratliff, who is five years older than the 40-year-old VP-elect, according to People magazine.

Who is JD Vance’s sister?

Ratliff is Vance’s half-sister, born to their mother Bev Vance’s first husband. JD Vance and his sister grew up in Middletown, whose hardships inspired his 2016 book“Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.” Ratliff was portrayed in the film version of “Hillbilly Elegy” by actress Haley Bennett.

After Vance’s parents divorced when he was a young child, his mother struggled with substance abuse. The half-siblings were then primarily raised by Vance’s grandparents, James and Bonnie Vance, whom they called Papaw and Mamaw.

Gabriel Basso, center, as JD Vance, Haley Bennett as Lindsay Lewis Ratliff, and Amy Adams as Bev Vance in "Hillbilly Elegy." — Gabriel Basso, center, as JD Vance, Haley Bennett as Lindsay Lewis Ratliff and Amy Adams as Bev Vance in “Hillbilly Elegy.”

Ratliff is not a public figure like Vance, but People reports that she is very close to her brother. Ratliff told Megyn Kelly in 2017: “I would die for that child. And I know he would too.”

Where does JD Vance’s sister live?

Ratliff is currently married with three children and still lives in Middletown.

This article originally appeared on the Cincinnati Enquirer: Who is JD Vance’s sister? Meet half-sibling Lindsay Lewis Ratliff