JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground
HTML
<select>
<option>1</option>
<option>2</option>
<option>3</option>
<option>4</option>
<option>5</option>
</select>
JavaScript
$('select').val(2);
<select>
<option>1</option>
<option>2</option>
<option>3</option>
<option>4</option>
<option>5</option>
</select>
$('select').val(2);