Indian-American lawyer Usha Chilukuri Vance has come into the spotlight after her husband, JD Vance, was named by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as his running mate.
Usha, 38, could become the first Indian American second lady if Trump and Vance win the 5 November general election against Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. She joined her 39-year-old husband on Monday as he accepted the nomination in an acclamation vote by delegates, and they greeted convention attendees together.
The daughter of Indian immigrants, Usha grew up in a San Diego suburb. Friends from her childhood described her as a leader and a bookworm. As of 2014, she was a registered Democrat. Usha is a graduate of Yale Law School and works as a civil litigation attorney at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. She has clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh while he was a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.
Usha and Vance met at Yale Law School. If Trump and Vance win, she would be the first Hindu spouse of a vice president, succeeding second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is the first Jewish spouse of a vice president, according to The New York Post.
The Vances married in 2014 in Kentucky and were blessed by a Hindu priest at a separate event, as noted in a New York Times profile. They have three children: sons Ewan and Vivek, and a daughter named Mirabel.
In a joint interview with her husband on "Fox & Friends" last month, Usha said she was reluctant to gain greater public exposure. Reflecting on JD Vance's successful 2022 Senate campaign, she described it as "an adventure" but added, "I'm not raring to change anything about our lives right now." She expressed her support for her husband, saying, "I believe in JD and I really love him, and so we'll just sort of see what happens with our life."
Vance mentioned that his wife is "not a Christian" but is "very supportive" of his deepening faith. Addressing the challenges of an interfaith marriage, Usha said, “There are a lot of things that we just agree on, especially when it comes to family life, how to raise our kids. And so I think the answer really is, we just talk a lot.”
Before law school, Usha earned a bachelor's degree in history from Yale and a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge. While she has not appeared at many public events, she has made some appearances on talk shows.
On Monday, she was seen with Vance on the floor of the Republican National Convention as part of the Ohio delegation. Vance tends to keep their children out of the spotlight, although he has made references to them over the years.
(With inputs from PTI)
Thangam Debbonaire (Pic from Wikimedia Commons)
Richard Townshend
