Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s recent social media post about Second Lady Usha Vance is backfiring, potentially costing him critical support among the state’s Indian American and female voters.
El-Sayed leads former Rep. Mike Rogers by less than a percentage point in the RealClearPolitics polling average for Michigan’s open Senate seat—a race that will determine control of the chamber.
Michigan has roughly 130,000 Indian Americans and ranks third nationally in female voter turnout, with 69% of women casting ballots—about 10 points above the national average, according to Census Bureau data.
In a recent post on X, El-Sayed wrote: “So do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no …”
Papaw refers to Vice President JD Vance’s nickname for his grandfather, who helped raise him. In his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy, Vance stated it was “one of the great regrets of my life that Mamaw and Papaw never met” his wife, who is Indian American.
Republicans interpret El-Sayed’s post as suggesting Vance’s family would have rejected Usha over her heritage. A Republican operative said El-Sayed “has a Napoleon complex and he victimizes women to look tough instead of the actual men he claims to have a problem with.”
State Republican Party co-chair Sunny Reddy warned the remark could drive away middle-aged women, Indian Americans, and other ethnic voters. “We may have differences. We attack each other. But going to the family and the kids is a disaster,” Reddy said. “They are not the one running.”
Reddy noted that the state party has already produced an advertisement built around El-Sayed’s post and that Indian American community leaders called for an apology.
Republicans expect Vice President Vance to raise the issue Monday during his campaign in Michigan’s 10th Congressional District near Detroit. Vance has not publicly responded.
Usha Vance said she “kind of laughed” when asked about the post and described her husband’s family as loving toward her—a response Republicans said blunted the attack.
Reddy also referenced an April podcast appearance where El-Sayed speculated about Usha Vance’s private thoughts regarding her husband and her pregnancy.
El-Sayed posted the message after Usha Vance accused him of labeling critics of Sharia law as white supremacists. He has stated his point was aimed at Vice President Vance’s rhetoric about who counts as American.
