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A decade before Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed appeared to question how JD Vance’s grandfather would have regarded Usha Vance, the vice president wrote that one of his "great regrets" was that his grandparents never got to meet his wife.
"Last, but certainly not least, is my darling wife, Usha," Vance wrote in 2016 in the acknowledgments of his memoir "Hillbilly Elegy." He added, "… though it is one of the great regrets of my life that Mamaw and Papaw never met her, it is the source of my greatest joy that I did."
The passage was cited repeatedly on social media over the weekend as conservatives dragged the Michigan Senate candidate over his swipe at second lady Usha Vance. The controversy comes as El-Sayed fights for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat against Republican Mike Rogers, putting the Democrat’s rhetoric under a brighter spotlight as the high-stakes general election takes shape.
VANCE UNLOADS ON EL-SAYED OVER SHARIA REMARKS: ‘THAT’S NOT MY GRANDPA’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY’
Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed poses for a portrait in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Feb. 21, 2026. (Evan Cobb for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
El-Sayed invoked Vance’s family after the vice president criticized his past comments about Sharia law at an Ohio rally this month, arguing that the Michigan Democrat represented a version of the party his grandfather — whom Vance called "Papaw" — would not have recognized.
"So do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no…" El-Sayed said, a remark critics called racist and interpreted as an insinuation that Papaw would not have accepted Usha because of her Indian heritage.
Critics were quick to call out El-Sayed, with many questioning his attitude toward women and others pointing to Vance’s book.
"Why does Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed just assume that all White midwestern grandparents are racist?" asked Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas.
Second lady Usha Vance and Vice President JD Vance arrive for a military mothers celebration in the East Room of the White House on May 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
"El-Sayed is an absolute vile, abhorrent, PIG. Usha Vance is a beloved figure in our country and in my opinion Vice President Vance's most powerful secret weapon," said Meghan McCain. "Women in America truly love her – attack her at your own peril democrat psychopaths. It will backfire."
"If you’re a rural White American living in Michigan, just remember El-Sayed believes you’re a racist," said commentator Ryan Girdusky.
"You are a racist creep," said journalist Emily Schrader in response to El-Sayed's post.
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Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Vice President JD Vance. El-Sayed won the Democratic primary for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat and will face Republican Mike Rogers in the general election. (Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images; Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed and the Vance family for comment.
"Hillbilly Elegy," published in 2016, chronicled Vance’s upbringing in Middletown, Ohio, and his family’s Appalachian roots in Kentucky, with his grandparents — whom he called "Mamaw" and "Papaw" — playing central roles in the memoir and his childhood.
Fox News Digital's Peter D'Abrosca contributed to this report.
Ashley J. DiMella reports on politics for Fox News Digital.
