Vice presidential candidate JD Vance made his second appearance in two weeks at the Pima County Fairgrounds Tuesday afternoon, cheered on by a crowd of about 300 fans.

Supporters of all ages turned out to support Vance, the crowd a sea of red hats and shirts, with the occasional splash of glitter, rhinestones, and American Flag flare.

Mary Carlson, a former Democrat, was fired up for the rally and happily explained her support for Vance — and former President Donald Trump, by extension.

“I used to be a Democrat. I saw what they were doing with the border … and just all the sneaky stuff that was going on and lying to the American people,” she said. “It's just way too many lies. I mean, the thing I love about Trump was he's a business owner. He's not in the swamp.”

Vance’s youth and intelligence remains a key factor for other voters as well. John Lee, a financial asset manager, said what appeals to him the most about Vance is that he’s the strength that America needs.

“I followed his career, but I didn't really see him until he spoke in the first debate, and I was very impressed,” Lee said. “And then when he did a TV interview on ABC with Martha Raddatz, I said to myself, this guy could be the next President.”

U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Steve Scalise was one of a handful of speakers that fired up the crowd before Vance took the stage, talking about Trump’s and Vance’s initiatives to protect the Second Amendment and secure the border, which invoked a deafening cheer from the crowd.

Vance was greeted in similar fashion, including a lengthy standing ovation when he took the stage.

His remarks focused largely on border security and sending undocumented immigrants back to their home countries. He also said that his job is easy.

“All that I have to do is go out and remind the American people that Donald Trump was the president of peace and prosperity,” he said.

One reporter asked if Trump wants to deport Dreamers or other childhood arrivals, and while Vance said the focus is on violent criminals, their plans don't stop there.

“We also have to deport people, not just the bad people who came into our country, but people who violated the law coming into this country," he said. "We’ve got to be willing to deport them."

Vance doubled-down on previous claims that he and Trump would "kick the cartels' asses." He mentioned a Tucson Marine named Nicholas Douglas Quets, who local media outlets reported was shot Friday night while traveling from Nogales to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora.

He said that in upcoming weeks, “we all need to work to apply pressure on the cartels” 

When asked by a reporter about the federal government’s role in the fentanyl crisis, Vance called it a “humanitarian catastrophe that should be the biggest story in every national news media outlet.”

When asked about the hot topic of women's reproductive rights, Vance said he plans to give women more options so they do not feel that abortion is their only recourse.

“We want as many American families to have as many children as they want to, and the best way to do that is to give women more options,” he said. “We want to do whatever we can do to make healthy American families, because without families, what the hell is the point?”

He said he and Trump are “pro family, pro woman, and pro baby.”

“And we’re going to make it happen when we get back to the White House!”

Samantha Callicutt is a graduate student at the University of Arizona School of Journalism and reporter with Tucson Spotlight. Contact her at Scallicutt@arizona.edu.