Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) said he is the product of “strong women” amid criticism from Democrats over past derivative remarks he made about “childless cat women.”

At a rally in Reno, Nevada, Vance touched on his upbringing, mainly by his grandmother. He used the story to implicitly counter allegations of sexism leveled by Democrats, who took issue with past comments he made about “childless cat women.”