On the final night of an unusual Republican midterms convention, Vice-President JD Vance stepped forward not merely to rally voters but to audition for a larger role in American political life. His appeal for party unity — delivered amid fresh reporting that he had privately questioned the Iran war with military commanders — carried the quiet weight of a man navigating loyalty and ambition at once. The convention itself, a departure from tradition, reflected a party aware of its vulnerabilities and reaching for cohesion before November's congressional elections could test them.