The Vice Presidential candidate traditionally speaks on the third night of the Republican National Convention. Usha Chilukuri introduced JD Vance after an introduction video. Former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee, had chosen JD as his running mate. Chilukuri seemed a little nervous at first.
This shows that the Vances do not represent a polished family of politicians, but rather regular people. Usha Chilukuri began her remarks after the applause had died down.
When asked to introduce JD Vance, my husband, to you all, I was lost. What else can I add that hasn’t been said already? The man had already been the subject of a Ron Howard film.
JD has made his life known through his own powerful words. JD has shared much of his life through his own eloquent words.
Then it occurred to me: I must explain to JD why I admire and love him, and why I am standing here today beside him. Why he would make a wonderful Vice President of the United States.
Vance and Chilukuri were married in 2014 after meeting at Yale Law School. It’s common to hear the aphorism “Everyone has baggage” when dating or looking for someone right for you. You need someone who will love you enough to unpack your baggage.
JD Vance was left with a lot of baggage by his chaotic upbringing, which he believed would hinder his success. Usha Chilukuri loved him enough for him to partner with her, and he helped unpack all the Samsonites in his past.
Chilukuri Vance continued:
JD was a recent Ohio State graduate when I first met him in law school. He attended law school with the help of the GI Bill. JD was my first friend, and who wouldn’t? He was, and still is, the most fascinating person I know. He was a working-class man who overcame childhood traumas I couldn’t fathom to get into Yale Law School. A Marine who served in Iraq but enjoyed watching Babe and playing with puppies.
He was the most determined person I had ever met. His overriding goal: was to be a husband, and a father and to create a tight-knit, loving family, just as he’d hoped for when he was a kid. My background is quite different from JD’s. I was raised in San Diego, in a community of middle-class families, with loving parents who were both immigrants from India. My sister is also a wonderful person. JD and me meeting, let alone falling in love and getting married, is a testament to the greatness of this country.
This is also a testimony to JD and tells you a lot about him. JD approached my differences with enthusiasm and curiosity when he first met me. He wanted to learn everything about me, where I was from and what my life was like.
Vance and his wife have three children. He started in business to create jobs. Then he moved to politics to solve the problems that he observed. Vance was elected to the Senate and is now Donald Trump’s Vice Presidential candidate.
Chilukuri saw in her friend who was an integral member of her family, the seeds of what he would be.
He was an important part of my life before I even knew it. I couldn’t imagine not having him. JD is still the same JD that I knew back then, except for his beard. His goals are the same in his new role as they were for our family. To protect people, create opportunities, build a better future, and solve problems with an open-minded approach.
If everything goes according to plan in November, JD Vance and Usha Chilukuri Vance could be unpacking in Washington D.C. in 2025.
We both knew that we would not be in this situation. It’s difficult to imagine a stronger example of the American Dream. A boy raised by his grandmother in Middletown, Ohio through difficult times is chosen to lead our nation through its biggest challenges.
Thank you all for your trust in him and our family.
