Small businessman Len Kaltman, who owns Buckeye Pens & Gifts, got an unexpected order this spring on behalf of Vice President JD Vance.

But Vance is in a unique position compared with recent vice presidents, said Democratic strategist Ashley Etienne, who was communications director to Harris during much of her first year as vice president. Vance’s boss is term-limited by the Constitution, and that gives him a different mandate, she said.