Archive · 1 Sep 2026
JD Vance and El-Sayed Clash Over Usha Vance Remarks
JD Vance and Abdul El-Sayed are competing in a heated Michigan Senate campaign.
Vance was campaigning for Republican Mike Rogers, who is running against El-Sayed.
The argument began when El-Sayed mentioned Vance’s wife, Usha, in a post about Vance’s late grandfather.
Vance told El-Sayed to stop using his wife’s name.
Vance also called El-Sayed very evil and criticized his views about religion and American identity.
El-Sayed said he was criticizing Vance’s political ideas, not attacking Usha because of her background.
Usha said she laughed at the comment and was not especially offended.
Polling cited in the articles showed El-Sayed narrowly ahead, with about one in ten voters undecided.
JD Vance told Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed to stop mentioning Second Lady Usha Vance.
The dispute followed El-Sayed’s post asking whether Vance would take Usha to meet his late grandfather, “Papaw.”
El-Sayed said he was challenging Vance’s views about American identity and denied that his remark was racially motivated.
Vance called El-Sayed “very, very evil” and accused him of favoring one religious group over others.
The clash occurred as El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers in a closely watched Michigan Senate race, with about 10% of voters undecided.
- Who
- Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance, Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, and Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers.
- What
- A public dispute over El-Sayed’s remarks about Usha Vance, Vance’s late grandfather, and the vice president’s political views.
- When
- The latest exchange occurred Monday, August 31, 2026; the original post was published earlier in August.
- Where
- A MAGA Inc. rally in Sterling Heights, Michigan, in suburban Detroit, and on social media.
- Why
- El-Sayed said he was challenging Vance’s ideas about American identity and working-class roots, while Vance viewed the remarks as personal attacks on his family and criticized El-Sayed’s policies and associations.
El-Sayed’s Defense
Vance’s Criticism
Meaning of the Usha reference
El-Sayed’s Defense
El-Sayed said he was questioning Vance’s ideas about American identity and his references to his working-class roots, and denied that the post was racially motivated.
Vance’s Criticism
Vance and Republican critics viewed the remarks as inappropriate personal comments about Usha Vance and Vance’s family.
Definition of political evil
El-Sayed’s Defense
El-Sayed said the Trump administration and Republicans were responsible for harmful policies involving health care, prices, trade wars, war, and political division.
Vance’s Criticism
Vance said El-Sayed represented an increasingly common form of politics that favors one group over others and called on Michigan voters to reject him.
Usha Vance’s reaction
El-Sayed’s Defense
Usha Vance said she laughed at the remark, was not particularly offended, and regarded Vance’s surviving family as her own family.
Vance’s Criticism
Vance demanded that El-Sayed stop mentioning his wife and said she was “way out of your league.”
- Election
- Michigan’s November U.S. Senate election
- Democratic nominee
- Abdul El-Sayed
- Republican nominee
- Mike Rogers
- Disputed post
- El-Sayed asked whether JD Vance would take Usha to meet his late grandfather, “Papaw.”
- Vance’s response
- He told El-Sayed to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth and called El-Sayed “very, very evil.”
- Usha Vance’s response
- She said she “kind of laughed” and was not particularly offended.
- Polling
- The articles report that El-Sayed held a narrow lead over Mike Rogers, with around 10% of voters undecided.
