Vice President JD Vance spent a keynote speech on Democrats' cultural politics and his own family story.
He criticized Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed after El-Sayed suggested Vance's grandfather would not have liked his wife, Usha, because of her skin color. Vance said El-Sayed 'looks at him, sees the color of his skin, and decides that he could never have loved my wife.'
Vance then cast Democrats as a party of 'hatred' and said they are not the party of 'higher taxes and a little more regulation.' He also attacked other Democratic candidates, including Will Lawrence in Michigan and James Talarico in Texas, over comments on the nuclear family, gender and transgender issues.
The speech also marked one year since the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Vance said Kirk left behind two children and a wife, and described him as 'a good man.' He told the crowd that every American child is born with a 'birthright' to inherit the blessings of the country.
When attendees chanted '48,' Vance said, 'We gotta take care of business this November, then we can worry about what comes next.' He also addressed speculation about a future presidential bid, but the source does not give details of any announcement.
Why it matters: Vance is trying to turn family, religion and cultural grievance into a midterm message.
The bottom line: the argument is straightforward. Democrats, in his telling, want to police speech and weaken the family. Vance is betting that message still moves voters more than policy talk about taxes and regulation.