By El-Sayed Faces Renewed Backlash Over Attacks on Usha Vance, JD Vance’s ‘Brown Kids’
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is facing renewed criticism over his attacks on Vice President JD Vance’s family after a weekend post about second lady Usha Vance revived scrutiny of earlier remarks about the couple’s marriage and children.
The latest controversy began after Vance criticized El-Sayed during an appearance in Ohio, arguing that the progressive Democrat’s views on Sharia law would have been unrecognizable to his late grandfather, whom Vance calls “Papaw.”
El-Sayed responded on Twitter by bringing Vance’s Indian-American wife into the exchange.
So do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no… https://t.co/JApcsCW4kU
— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) August 22, 2026
“So do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no…” El-Sayed wrote. Critics interpreted the remark as suggesting that Vance’s White, working-class grandfather would have objected to his grandson marrying an Indian-American woman. El-Sayed’s campaign did not explain the meaning of the post when contacted by Fox News.
The remark quickly drew accusations of racism.
“Why does Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed just assume that all White midwestern grandparents are racist?” asked Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas.
Commentator Ryan Girdusky added: “If you’re a rural White American living in Michigan, just remember El-Sayed believes you’re a racist.”
Journalist Emily Schrader responded directly to El-Sayed: “You are a racist creep.”
The episode has attracted additional attention because it was not the first time El-Sayed has made Vance’s wife and children part of his political attacks.
During an April appearance on “The Allen Analysis Show,” El-Sayed speculated about Usha Vance’s sex life with her husband, referenced her pregnancy and repeatedly focused on the racial identity of the couple’s children while arguing that Vance’s politics were inconsistent with having a multiracial family. He referred to the vice president’s children as “Brown kids” and accused Vance of believing they were less American than other children.
Abdul attacking Vance’s family and wife is a new low. pic.twitter.com/XdIzXF3GUU
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) August 23, 2026
The American Thinker drew renewed attention to those creepy remarks over the weekend after El-Sayed’s latest post, arguing that his repeated focus on Usha Vance’s marriage, pregnancy and the race of the couple’s children represented a pattern rather than a single offhand remark.
Usha Vance handled the latest attack with composure, responding Tuesday that her experience with her husband’s Ohio family bore little resemblance to the implication critics saw in El-Sayed’s post.
“I kind of laughed because, yes, I never met JD’s Mamaw and Papaw, but I do know and love the children that they raised,” Vance told Fox News. “His mom, his aunt and uncle, and they have never been anything but incredibly loving.”
She said Vance’s aunt had become “like a second mother” to her and added of her husband’s family: “Everyone has been really loving. They are my family. They treat me like their family.”
EXCLUSIVE: Second Lady Usha Vance responds after a DSA-backed Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed questioned how JD Vance's grandfather might have viewed her.
"I have to admit I kind of laughed… I do know and love the children that they raised… and they have never been anything… pic.twitter.com/rQGwZRzHYJ
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) August 25, 2026
Vance’s response drew praise online for its restraint and warmth. Rather than escalating the dispute, she emphasized her relationship with her husband’s family and directly rejected the premise that she had been treated as an outsider.
El-Sayed’s weekend remarks also revived accusations from his political opponents that he has a habit of directing unusually personal attacks toward women.
Earlier Saturday, El-Sayed targeted Natalie Harp, an aide to President Donald Trump, after Trump criticized him for campaigning with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who previously said that “America deserved 9/11.” Harp has recently become the subject of online speculation about her relationship with the president.
“Natalie, I think he’s had a little too much iPad for the week. He needs his rest,” El-Sayed wrote.
The two posts prompted criticism from an account run by Democrats supporting Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers.
“This is why there were ads in the primary correctly highlighting how sexist and misogynistic Abdul is. He has so much contempt for women. If you’re over the politics of division. Reject Abdul El-Sayed.”
Questions about El-Sayed’s treatment of female political figures had already become an issue during the Democratic primary. Attack ads portrayed him as sexist based on previous comments about women including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. El-Sayed rejected those accusations during the campaign, arguing that his criticism was aimed at political figures and institutions rather than women specifically.
The new controversy comes less than three weeks after El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens for the Democratic nomination in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate contests. El-Sayed prevailed by less than one percentage point and will face Rogers in November for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
El-Sayed’s victory represented a major win for the Democratic Party’s progressive wing. He campaigned with support from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and built an unconventional campaign that relied heavily on podcasts, social media personalities and online creators.
That strategy included repeated appearances with Piker. In the closing days of the primary, El-Sayed attended a Detroit pool party for content creators where he was photographed speaking with the streamer.
Piker has since created another headache for the Democratic nominee. El-Sayed distanced himself Monday from comments in which Piker suggested rhetoric by some Jewish organizations could eventually provoke violence against American Jews. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called Piker’s remarks “dangerous and antisemitic,” while El-Sayed said antisemitism was “a scourge” and emphasized that Piker did not speak for his campaign.
The controversies are placing El-Sayed’s combative political style under increasing scrutiny as he moves from a Democratic primary electorate to a general-election campaign in one of the nation’s most competitive states. Republicans are now seeking to make his own words — about Vance’s family, his political rivals and the figures with whom he has campaigned — a central part of the case against him.
[READ MORE: DSA Leader Says Democratic Takeover Will Be Violent]
