Haley BeMillerBrianne Pfannenstiel
USA TODAY NETWORK
0:20
0:47
https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.651.0_en.html#goog_572328076
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.
Exposing the Big Game 