Usha Vance steps into the Republican spotlight to wide praise - and a few racist sneers

MILWAUKEE — Usha Vance has never been one to clamor for the spotlight.

She stood by her husband’s side as JD Vance received national acclaim for his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” and ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022. He describes her as brilliant, a defender of what she loves, a comforting change from the chaos of his youth.

During the third night of the Republican National Convention, Usha Vance took on a new, loftier task: Introducing her husband, and herself, to the country in a primetime speech.

“That JD and I could meet at all, let alone fall in love and marry, is a testament to this great country,” she said.

The Vances have been thrust into national prominence this week after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump named Ohio's junior senator as his running mate. Her national coming out has prompted a largely supportive reception, even as some far-right personalities have circulated racist commentary denigrating her Indian heritage.

Republican delegates who saw Usha Vance introduce her husband during the convention Wednesday praised her performance, even if the applause was, at times, muted — like when she described how her husband adapted to her vegetarian diet.

Wendi Baggaley, a 53-year-old delegate from Minot, North Dakota, said Vance’s Indian heritage is “beautiful” and called her a “rock star.”

“Oh, my goodness, she's amazing,” Baggaley gushed after the speech. “She didn't seem nervous or anything. Just delivered just a sweet message, and then he came out and gave her a hug and a kiss kind of like 'you did great, sweetheart.' That was awesome.”

Vance, the daughter of Indian immigrants and a practicing Hindu, grew up in San Diego before moving on to further her education and career. She earned degrees in history at Yale University and the University of Cambridge and later graduated from Yale Law School, where she met JD Vance.

Vance had been working as a litigator Munger, Tolles & Olson, but a spokesperson said she chose to leave the firm in the wake of her husband’s vice presidential nomination.

“It’s safe to say that neither JD nor I expected to find ourselves in this position,” Vance said. “But it’s hard to imagine a more powerful example of the American dream: A boy from Middletown, Ohio, raised by his grandmother through tough times chosen to help lead our country through some of its greatest challenges.”

In her speech, Usha Vance alluded to her husband’s background with a few jokes peppered in about his beard and the movie made from his memoir.

Kay Schell, 81, attended the event with her husband, Ray Schell, 83. Both said they thought Usha Vance was “lovely.”

“I will say, we will have two of the classiest first and second ladies probably ever in that White House,” Kay Schell said. “America's made of immigrants. As long as an immigrant is here legally, I think it's great.”

More: Meet the veep: JD Vance introduces himself as father, author - and MAGA convert

Racist comments come from far right

The racist comments focusing on Vance’s heritage have come mostly from the far-right corners of the internet.

Jaden McNeil, a far-right activist and founder of America First Students, posted a photo of Vance with his wife and newborn child on social media, for example, saying, “I’m sure this guy is going to be great on immigration.”

Other commentators zeroed in on the senator’s children, panning the ethnic origin of their names: Ewan, Vivek and Maribel.

“This guy has a non-white wife and a kid named Vivek,” Nick Fuentes, a prominent personality on the far right who promotes antisemitic and racist ideas, said on his podcast. “This guy is gonna be a defender of white identity? I don’t think so.”

A spokesperson for Vance declined to comment.

The comments come as the convention focuses on its unofficial theme of “unity.”

Republicans are also trying to reach out to voters of color and expanding the diversity of voices leading the party, a strategy evident by the decision to highlight diverse speakers such as Amber Rose and Harmeet Dhillon, a prominent Republican lawyer and close Trump ally.

But Dhillon, who recited the Ardas, a Sikh prayer, faced backlash from some conservative commentators online who felt the convention should only highlight Christian prayers.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is also the daughter of immigrants, called on Republicans to be better at welcoming people into the party who have diverse backgrounds in her Tuesday night speech.

“We must not only be a unified party,” she said. “We must also expand our party. We are so much better when we are bigger. We are stronger when we welcome people into our party who have different backgrounds and experiences. And right now, we need to be strong to save America.”

Catherine Ernsky, an alternate delegate from Connecticut, believes Usha Vance will be welcomed by most people in the GOP. The online backlash against Dhillon, for instance, was a stark contrast to the warm embrace delegates gave her at the convention, Ernsky said.

“The Republican Party is a welcoming party,” Ernsky said. “You’re always going to get one or two who might say or do something that they shouldn't. You’re going to get the trolls that are saying stuff.”

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. She is also covering the 2024 presidential race for USA TODAY as a senior national campaign correspondent. Reach her at [email protected] or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Usha Vance RNC coming out prompts wide praise, a few racist taunts