If current polls are accurate, Ohio Senator JD Vance could become the next Vice President of the United States, continuing a trend of Vice Presidents with strong connections to India. Vance is married to Usha Chilukuri, a corporate lawyer in San Francisco whose parents are Indian. At their 2014 wedding in Kentucky, they were also blessed by a Hindu priest in a separate ceremony, as reported by The New York Times.
The current Vice President, Kamala Harris, is the daughter of Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher from Chennai, and Donald Harris, a Stanford economist from Jamaica.
So, who is JD Vance, selected by Donald J. Trump as his running mate at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 15 (India time)?
Background and Education
Vance grew up in modest circumstances in Middletown, Ohio. After high school, he joined the US Marines, serving in the Iraq War as a combat journalist and public relations officer. He later earned a degree in political science and philosophy from Ohio State University and then studied law at Yale Law School, where he was an editor of the Yale Law Journal.
After graduating from Yale in 2013, Vance practiced law briefly before moving to San Francisco to work as a venture capitalist, notably at Mithril Capital, co-founded by Peter Thiel.
“My parents’ Hindu faith made them great parents” – Usha Vance
— Alexei Arora (@AlexeiArora) July 15, 2024
She’s a Hindu & was supportive of her husband’s rediscovery of his own faith (One of her sons is named Vivek too 😂)
Vance, anti-war & Trump’s VP, so far seems to be a net positive for Indiapic.twitter.com/KtbOUNT9ba
Author and Political Transformation
Vance gained fame with his best-selling book “Hillbilly Elegy” in 2016. The book was seen as a lens into rural America’s struggles, contributing to Trump’s rise. A New York Times review praised it as a “compassionate, discerning sociological analysis of the white underclass.” A film adaptation was released in 2020.
Initially, Vance was a vocal critic of Trump, describing him as “cultural heroin” and comparing him to Hitler in a private message. However, Vance’s views shifted over time. He voted for Trump in 2020 and won his Senate race in 2022 with Trump’s support.
Vance has explained his change in perspective as realizing that Trump wasn’t as bad as he initially thought and that American liberals were worse. He now aligns closely with Trump’s views and has become a prominent defender of the former president. Vance is also a key figure in the “New Right,” a movement aiming to steer the Republican Party towards populism, nationalism, and cultural conservatism.
Personal Life
Vance met Usha Chilukuri at Yale. The couple has three children and lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Usha, who is Hindu, grew up in a San Diego suburb and was known for her intelligence and leadership. She studied at Yale and later at Cambridge on a Gates Fellowship. Usha, who was a registered Democrat as of 2014, worked at the progressive law firm Munger, Tolles, and Olson until resigning shortly after Trump selected Vance as his running mate.
Usha’s legal career includes clerking for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh. She was also an editor for the Yale Law Journal and the Yale Journal of Law & Technology.
Vance’s Selection Significance
In his announcement on Truth Social, Trump highlighted Vance’s focus on American workers and farmers in key Midwestern states. Vance’s selection is expected to energize Trump’s base and attract financial support from Silicon Valley, with Peter Thiel being a major donor.
However, the choice of Vance means the Republican ticket will feature two white men, potentially limiting its appeal to other demographics. Some Trump supporters had hoped for a woman of color to broaden the coalition. This dynamic could influence the race if President Joe Biden steps aside under pressure, potentially paving the way for Kamala Harris to lead the Democratic ticket