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(NewsNation) — In his address to the Republican National Convention, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, heavily focused on his personal story and how it ties in with some of former President Donald Trump’s key issues.

He also warned U.S. allies that a Trump-Vance administration would embrace “America First” policies while formally accepting the GOP nomination.

“Together, we will make our allies share in the burden of securing world peace: no more free rides for nations that betray the generosity of the American taxpayer,” Vance said.

This was a high-stakes moment for the Ohio Republican as he tried to make his case to Americans, who are largely unfamiliar with him, according to a recent poll.

Vance’s remarks were his first speech since being tapped as Trump’s vice presidential nominee.

Vance hailed Trump’s raised fist moment after an assassination attempt at his rally, where a bullet grazed the former president’s ear.

“Look at that photo of him, defiant, fist in the air. When Donald Trump rose to his feet in that Pennsylvania field, all of America stood with him. And what did he call us to do for our country? To fight. To fight for America,” Vance said of Trump’s move to raise his fist and encourage his rally attendees to “fight.”

Vance, 39, touched on trade, immigration, foreign policy and the drug epidemic when he took the stage at Fiserv Forum. 

“Together, we will protect the wages of American workers and stop the Chinese Communist Party from building their middle class on the backs of American citizens,” Vance said.

Trump named Vance as his running mate Monday, opting for the Ohio Republican over Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. He was considered the favored pick of Donald Trump Jr. 

“And my message to my fellow Americans is: Shouldn’t we be governed by a party that is unafraid to debate ideas and come to the best solution?” Vance said. “That’s the Republican Party of the next four years: united in our love for [America,] and committed to free speech and the open exchange of ideas.”

Vance grew up in rural Ohio in a family that struggled with addiction, he recounted in his bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” which was adapted into a major motion picture in 2020. He went on to become a Marine, Yale law school graduate and venture capitalist. 

Vance ultimately broke through the GOP ranks at breakneck speed, becoming a darling of the MAGA movement he once denounced.

“For the last eight years, President Trump has given everything he has to fight for the people of our country. He didn’t need politics, but the country needed him,” Vance said during his speech.

The once self-proclaimed “Never Trumper” decried the then-candidate in 2016 as “America’s Hitler,” before embracing the former president and building a strong bond with his new running mate’s family. 

“I bought into the media’s lies and distortions,” Vance said in an interview Monday, just hours after Trump announced his selection. 

He was elected to the Senate in 2022 with the help of Trump’s backing.  

His wife, Usha, introduced him saying, she wanted to “explain from the heart” why Vance should be the next vice president of the United States.

“I am married to the daughter of South Asian immigrants to this country, incredible people, people who genuinely have enriched the country in so many ways. And of course, I’m biased, because I love my wife, but it’s true,” Vance said.

Vance praised his mother, Beverly, who was attending the Republican National Convention, and lauded her for being “clean and sober” for 10 years. Vance proposed they celebrate her 10-year mark of sobriety in the White House in January.

Recent polling suggests that many voters remain unfamiliar with or ambivalent toward Vance. 

A CNN poll conducted late last month found 56 percent of registered voters surveyed had never heard of Vance, while 15 percent had no opinion. 

While expected to largely back Trump’s positions, Vance already has positioned himself as a hard-liner against abortion rights and LGBTQ rights. He’s also a Ukraine aid skeptic who advocates for a crackdown at the southern border and the mass deportation of people who are illegally in the U.S.

“I pledge to every American — no matter your party, I will give everything I have to serve you and to make this country a place where every dream you have for yourself, your family and your country will be possible once again,” Vance said toward the end of his speech.

NewsNation partner The Hill contributed to this report.