Vance is 'meat, potatoes guy' who cooks Indian food: Wife
Usha Chilukuri Vance, the wife of JD Vance, took to the stage at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday to introduce him after Donald Trump picked him as his vice president. Her speech shed light on the stark contrast between the duo's upbringings, with her being a middle-class immigrant and he coming from a low-income Appalachian family. She called him "a meat and potatoes kind of guy" who respected her vegetarianism and learned to cook Indian food for her mother.
Overcoming trauma to reach Yale Law School
Usha also described her husband as a working-class individual who overcame childhood traumas to attend Yale Law School, where they first met. She characterized him as "the most interesting person I knew." In addition to his academic achievements, she also highlighted his military service in Iraq and his softer side, which includes playing with puppies and watching the movie Babe.
Vance graduated from Yale Law School
Once on stage, Vance talked of his upbringing in poverty in Kentucky and Ohio, where his father was never present and his mother was a heroin user. He later joined the Marines, graduated from Yale Law School, and joined politics. He also acknowledged the significant influence of his Hindu wife on his personal and spiritual life. He credits her faith as a guiding force in navigating challenges and reconciling with his Catholic beliefs.
JD Vance: Grounded by wife's accomplishments
"Never in my wildest imagination could I have believed that I'd be standing here tonight," Vance said. "In small towns like mine in Ohio, or next door in Pennsylvania, or in Michigan, in states all across our country, jobs were sent overseas and children were sent to war," he said. "To the people of Middletown, Ohio...and every corner of our nation, I promise you this..I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from," he assured.
Vance relatively unknown
According to the Associated Press, most Americans, including Republicans, knew little about Vance until Wednesday night. "We don't know him," Michigan Republican Party Chairman Pete Hoekstra told AP. A new poll conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research revealed that 6 in 10 Americans do not know enough about Vance to form an opinion; this includes 61% of Republicans. The 39-year-old senator was elected to Congress in 2022.
