On November 6, the results of the US presidential election were announced, with Republican candidate Donald Trump defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris to become the 47th President of the United States. His running mate, Senator JD Vance, will also become the third youngest vice president in US history.
Born on August 2, 1984, in a working-class family in Middletown, Ohio, Vance was raised by his grandparents due to his parents’ divorce and his mother’s addiction issues. Despite facing economic and familial struggles growing up, with his grandmother’s encouragement, Vance persevered. After graduating from high school, he joined the Marine Corps, went on to earn dual Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Philosophy from Ohio State University, and eventually obtained a law degree from Yale Law School. He later became a lawyer, venturing into Silicon Valley venture capital business, paving the way for a new chapter in his life.
Vance met his wife Usha Chilukuri Vance at Yale Law School, and they married in Kentucky in 2014. Usha, born in San Diego, California in 1986, graduated from Yale University with a degree in History and later earned her law degree from Yale as well. She previously served as a clerk for Chief Justice John Roberts and then-appeals court Judge Brett Kavanaugh. After obtaining her law license in 2019, Usha worked at the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson. Vance, in his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” described Usha as the “super-smart daughter of Indian immigrants,” and the couple now has three children.
While Vance initially criticized Trump in 2016, he later became one of Trump’s staunchest supporters, leading the “Make America Great Again” movement. On July 15, when Trump announced Vance as his running mate, Usha also announced her resignation from the law firm to join Vance in the campaign. This millennial power couple is sure to become a prominent “second family” in the American political landscape, attracting considerable attention in the future.