Second lady Usha Vance said she has always felt loved and embraced by Vice President JD Vance’s family after she was drawn into a clash between her husband and Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed.
The comments came after a campaign rally where el Sayed appeared to take a swipe at Usha’s Indian heritage in response to criticism from Vance.
“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,” Usha Vance said in an interview with Fox News. “His mom, his aunt and uncle, and they have never been anything but incredibly loving.”
Vance said JD Vance’s aunt has become “like a second mother” to her and that she would have “really, really, really loved” to meet his grandparents.
She also recalled her first visit to Ohio, saying she had never been to the state before meeting her husband and initially expected it to look more like Iowa.
“Everyone has been really loving. They are my family. They treat me like their family,” she said.
El Sayed, who is running against Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers for Michigan’s Senate seat, made the comments after Vance criticized him at a rally in Ohio over his stated adherence to Sharia law. Vance suggested such views would have been foreign to his grandfather, whom he refers to as his “Papaw.”
“So do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no…” el Sayed said, appearing to reference Usha Vance’s Indian heritage.
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El Sayed is seeking the Democratic nomination in a Michigan Senate race that is among the most closely watched contests of the 2026 midterm elections.
El Sayed’s primary victory last month served as an energizing moment for the progressive wing of the party, defeating Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who had the backing of Senate leadership.