Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a Michigan Democrat running for U.S. Senate, has drawn widespread condemnation after making inflammatory remarks about Vice President JD Vance and his family on a podcast.

During the appearance, El-Sayed described VP Vance’s children as “brown” and claimed that Vance considers them “less American than everyone else.” He also made crude sexual comments about the vice president and Second Lady Usha Vance.

El-Sayed stated: “What do you think is going through Usha’s head when he talks? She’s like, ‘Damn, I have to sleep with him.’” He added that if Vance has children, “at some point he’s going to have a really awkward conversation with his kids… you made your career hating people who are different.”

The candidate further criticized Vance’s character, calling him “the charisma of a doorknob” and “the aura of a toad,” while urging Usha Vance to “get out” of the marriage.

El-Sayed is running in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary against state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Rep. Haley Stevens, with the primary scheduled for August 4. His remarks have been criticized as an example of using children for political attacks based on race.