Vance Invokes Indian-American Wife Usha in Attack on Democratic Senate Candidate in Michigan

WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance invoked his Indian-American wife, Usha Vance, during a Republican campaign rally in Michigan, accusing Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed of making racially charged statements about interracial relationships and challenging his views on American identity.

Speaking to supporters in Monroe, Michigan, Vance criticized El-Sayed over alleged comments suggesting that white Americans were incapable of forming genuine relationships with people of other races.

The vice president drew on his own family history, referring to his grandfather, who helped raise him during a difficult childhood in Ohio, and his marriage to Usha Vance, the nation’s first Indian-American second lady.

“He said, my papa, one of the greatest men that I have ever known the man who raised me when my own mom and dad struggled was incapable and he said this, go and look it up, that my papa was incapable of loving my darling wife and our amazing second Lady for the simple fact that he was white and she is not,” Vance told the crowd.

The allegations were made during a campaign appearance supporting Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, who is running against El-Sayed in the November 3 election.

Vance also referenced El-Sayed’s family background, accusing the Democratic candidate of holding contradictory views about race and personal relationships.

“Abdul said this despite being raised in part by his own white step grandfathers and I can only imagine if he says that in public what he says about you when the cameras aren’t on,” Vance said.

The vice president’s remarks were part of a broader criticism of El-Sayed’s positions on American identity, race, immigration and national history.

Vance accused the Democratic candidate of portraying the United States as fundamentally racist and contrasted that characterization with the experiences of his grandfather, who spent decades working in Ohio’s steel industry.

He emphasized the contributions of industrial workers to the development of America’s middle class and manufacturing economy.

Vance also questioned El-Sayed’s descriptions of his personal background, alleging that the Michigan-born candidate had previously identified himself as an immigrant from North Africa and claimed Egyptian citizenship.

The vice president framed the Senate contest as a choice between competing visions of American identity and patriotism.

His comments about his wife and grandfather were among the most personal portions of a speech that also addressed immigration, public safety, international conflicts and the upcoming midterm elections.

Usha Vance, a lawyer whose parents immigrated to the United States from India, became the country’s first Indian-American second lady when her husband assumed office in January 2025.

She has regularly accompanied the vice president at major public and official events.

JD Vance has frequently discussed his upbringing in Ohio and the important role his grandparents played in his childhood.

Their influence was prominently featured in his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which chronicled his experiences growing up in a working-class family and the challenges he faced during his early years.

The vice president’s latest remarks brought his family’s interracial background into the Michigan Senate campaign as Republicans and Democrats intensified their attacks ahead of the November election. (Source: IANS)