Keep My Wife’s Name The Hell Out Of Your Mouth: JD Vance

US Vice President JD Vance has launched a sharp attack on Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed after the progressive candidate brought Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, into a political exchange. Usha Vance is the first Indian-American, Telugu American second lady. Usha was born in San Diego to Telugu immigrant parents.

Strongly responding to Abdul El-Sayed, JD Vance said, “Keep my wife’s name the hell out of your mouth” Vance said while campaigning for Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers at a MAGA Inc. rally in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

Vance also called El-Sayed “very, very evil,” escalating the already heated Senate race. Michigan is one of six Senate contests currently viewed as toss-ups by election forecasters, making the battle important in the fight for control of the US Senate. A poll released Monday showed El-Sayed four percentage points ahead of Rogers, while around 10% of voters were still undecided.

How It All Started

The controversy started with Vance criticizing El-Sayed over his previous comments about Sharia law during a rally in Ohio. Speaking about his late grandfather, whom he calls “Papaw,” Vance said he wished he could go back in time and tell him about a politician who claims to represent working people while supporting Sharia law and arguing that criticism of it amounts to white supremacy. “That’s not my grandpa’s Democratic Party,” Vance said.

El-Sayed later responded to a video of Vance discussing his grandfather on X and brought Usha Vance’s name into the political exchange. “So do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no,” El-Sayed posted. Usha Vance, the daughter of Indian immigrants, was raised in a Hindu family and is married to JD Vance.

Vance strongly objected to his wife’s reference, accusing El-Sayed of having a “weird habit of talking about my family” before directly warning him against mentioning his wife. The vice president then widened his attack on El-Sayed, framing the Michigan Senate race as a choice between Republicans who, he said, want to represent all voters and a Democrat he accused of putting the interests of one community ahead of others.

The heated exchange adds another layer of tension to a closely watched Michigan race where both candidates are seeking to win over undecided voters.