Second Lady Usha Vance pushes back after Senate candidate's pointed comment

In an exclusive interview on a morning news program, second lady Usha Vance reacted to a statement by Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed that was interpreted as questioning whether JD Vance’s grandfather would have welcomed her, given her Indian roots. Vance noted she never met the late grandparents but is close to the Vance children’s mother, aunt and uncle, describing the aunt as a "second mother." El-Sayed later contended the comment implied a hierarchy of American identity based on lineage.

JD Vance frequently refers to his grandparents, James and Bonnie, as "Papaw" and "Mamaw," who died in 1997 and eight years later. The Vances met at Yale Law School and married in 2014, and Usha Vance highlighted the loving nature of the family she knows. El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.