Second Lady Usha Vance offered a measured response after Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed made a remark referencing her husband, Vice President JD Vance, and his family.
El-Sayed's comment on X, formerly Twitter, appeared to suggest that Vance's late maternal grandfather, James 'Papaw' Vance, might not have been accepting of his Indian-American wife. The remark came after JD Vance had invoked his grandfather to criticize El-Sayed's past views on Sharia law.
"So do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no…" El-Sayed wrote.
When asked about the exchange on Fox News, Usha Vance stated, "I have to admit, I kind of laughed. Because yes, I never met JD's Mamaw and Papaw. But I do know and love the children that they raised, his mom, his aunt and uncle. And they have never been anything but incredibly loving."
She added that her husband's maternal aunt is like a second mother to her and expressed confidence that Vance's grandparents would have been welcoming. "And I have to think that if they raised children like that, they would have been loving as well. And I would have really, really, really loved to have met them."
The controversy began during a rally in Ohio where JD Vance used his grandfather's life to contrast with El-Sayed's political stances. El-Sayed's subsequent post on X drew immediate criticism, with some accusing him of making a racially charged insinuation and targeting a politician's spouse.
GOP strategist Matt Whitlock shared screenshots of El-Sayed's comments about Usha Vance and another aide, Natalie Harp, suggesting a pattern of poor judgment. Tudor Dixon, a former Republican candidate for Michigan governor, also criticized El-Sayed, questioning how he would treat female staffers if elected to Congress.
Usha Vance, the daughter of Indian immigrants, met JD Vance at Yale Law School. They married in 2014 and have four children. She has largely maintained a lower public profile compared to her husband, despite his position as Vice President.