Milwaukee, WI – The spotlight fell on Usha Vance as she accompanied her husband, Senator JD Vance, onto the floor of the Republican National Convention following Donald Trump’s announcement that he would be his running mate. Usha, 38, joined her husband as they received a warm welcome from convention attendees, including Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.
As the potential second lady, Usha is a Yale Law School graduate and a civil litigation attorney who once clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. She also worked under Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he served as a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.
The Vances share three children together.
A professional profile from her time at Munger Tolles & Olson, where she worked from 2019 until recently, describes Usha’s experience working with various sectors such as higher education, local government, entertainment, and technology.
Born to Indian immigrants in San Diego, Vance (maiden name Chilukuri) would make history as the first Hindu spouse of a president or vice president if her husband is elected. She would succeed Doug Emhoff, who was the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president when he married Kamala Harris.
The couple was married in 2014 in Kentucky and were blessed by a Hindu priest at a separate event, as described in a New York Times profile.
In a joint interview on “Fox & Friends” last month, Usha expressed her reluctance to gain greater public exposure. She referred to her husband’s successful 2022 Senate campaign as an “adventure,” but said she wasn’t eager for any major changes in their lives at the moment.
In the same interview, JD Vance mentioned that his wife is not a Christian but was very supportive of his deepening faith when he got baptized in 2018. He jokingly remarked that Usha had prepared him well to debate Vice President Kamala Harris, saying, “I have to debate this litigator all the time.
Usha shared her insights on navigating their interfaith marriage, stating, “There are a lot of things that we just agree on, I think, 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.
