Indian-American lawyer Usha Chilukuri Vance has emerged into the national spotlight after her husband, JD Vance, was selected by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as his running mate. If Trump and Vance win the November 5 general elections against incumbent President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Usha, 38, would become the first Indian American second lady.
Usha joined her 39-year-old husband on Monday as he accepted the nomination in an acclimation vote by delegates, with the couple greeting convention attendees. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Usha grew up in a San Diego suburb. Friends from her youth describe her as a “leader” and a “bookworm.” She was a registered Democrat as of 2014.
A Yale Law School graduate, Usha is a Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP civil litigation attorney. She has clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh while he was on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. Usha and JD Vance met at Yale Law School.
As reported by The New York Post, she would be the first Hindu spouse of a vice president, succeeding second gentleman Doug Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a vice president. According to a New York Times profile, the couple married in 2014 in Kentucky and were blessed by a Hindu priest at a separate event. They have three children: sons Ewan and Vivek, and a daughter named Mirabel.
In a “Fox & Friends” interview last month, Usha expressed reluctance about greater public exposure but emphasized her support for her husband. JD Vance noted that while his wife is not Christian, she supports his deepening faith. They manage their interfaith marriage by discussing family and parenting extensively.
Before law school, Usha earned a bachelor's degree in history from Yale and a master of philosophy from the University of Cambridge. Although she hasn't made many public appearances, she has participated in some talk shows and was seen with Vance on the floor of the Republican National Convention as part of the Ohio delegation. The Vances generally keep their children out of the spotlight, though JD has occasionally referenced them publicly.
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