BBC
Jessel Turnk, the first Indian cast member on Bravo’s reality show The Real Housewives of New York City, says she’s excited about Kamala Harris’ candidacy.
On a recent October night on New York City’s Upper East Side, hundreds of influential Indian Americans, from Bollywood actors to tech company CEOs, wore flashy costumes and heavy jewelry. They gathered together over cocktails and celebrated the Hindu Festival of Lights at the luxury hotel The Pierre. .
But while the invitation called for Diwali celebrations to be held, inside the party, the party was excited about the latest political milestone for the Indian American community: Kamala Harris becoming the first U.S. presidential candidate of South Asian descent from a major political party. I was so excited that I was going to hold the ticket.
Jessel Turnk, the first Indian cast member on Bravo’s reality show The Real Housewives of New York City, told the BBC: “This is so unique because we have someone who actually resonates with us.” , because they have our best interests at heart.” At All That Glitter’s Diwali Ball.
“You can’t be invisible,” adds Reshma Saujani, CEO of Girls Who Code and the first Indian-American woman to run for U.S. Congress in 2010. She pointed out that Asian girls identify with Harris.
The challenge for Ms. Harris is channeling that enthusiasm among a surge of immigrants who have moved beyond traditional South Asian strongholds of California and New York to battleground states such as Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Both Harris and her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, are among Asian American voters in a close election where demographic advantages could tilt the outcome in their favor. It is stepping up efforts to engage Indian Americans, the largest and most politically active group.
Harris was the first person of Indian descent, and the first woman and Black person, to be elected vice president in 2020. But the 2024 election and her unexpected candidacy will result in the Indian American community moving into a political force. For the past 10 years.
In addition to Harris, this presidential election has seen the rise of other Indian Americans, including Usha Vance, wife of Donald Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance. During the Republican primary, voters got to know Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, who challenged Trump for the nomination.
Reshma Saujani, CEO of Girls Who Code and the first Indian-American woman to run for Congress in 2010; At All That Glitter’s Diwali Ball.
Along with the prominence of Indian American national figures, the community’s political involvement also deepened. In the past two presidential elections, Indian Americans had the highest turnout rate among Asian Americans compared to white voters, according to AAPI Data, a research firm that collects data on the Asian American community. . In 2020, 71% of eligible Indian Americans voted, an increase of 9% from 2016.
This trend is expected to continue in November, with Harris’ candidacy potentially increasing South Asian turnout to 75% of the electorate, said Karthik Ramakrishnan, co-founder of AAPI Data. I showed my point of view.
“While it was important to many South Asian voters that the first person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president of the United States, it was more important for them to have someone of their own background in the highest office in the country. It’s much bigger,” he said.
More than half (55%) of Indian American voters identify as Democrats, compared to 26% as Republicans, according to the 2024 AAPI Data Voter Survey. It is. Although still a majority, the number of Democratic-leaning Indian Americans has declined since 2020.
A survey released Sunday by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and YouGov found that 61% of registered Indian American voters planned to vote for Harris, while 32% planned to vote for Trump. Although the community continues to support Democrats, the latest polls show a “moderate trend” toward Trump and the Republican Party, and researchers believe this trend is increasing among Indian American men, especially in the U.S. He states that he is driven by young men by birth.
In the same survey, more than 60% of Indian American women said they planned to vote for Harris, while about 50% of Indian American men said they planned to vote for Trump.
For Anju Sauni, a doctor based in Flint, Michigan, Harris’ gender and commitment to reproductive rights are more of a reason to vote for her than the vice president’s ancestry.
“I’m very concerned about our patients. By stripping women of their rights when it comes to health care in this country, especially abortion, we’re already going backwards, especially when it comes to choice,” Sauni said.
Anju Sauni/BBC
Anju Sauni, a doctor based in the battleground state of Michigan, says she supports Kamala Harris because she supports reproductive rights.
Keetan Patel, a Democrat and attorney in Atlanta, Georgia, said Harris had “added fuel to the fire” but that the Indian American community at the heart of the battleground state was growing in power. He said he knows several Indian Americans who normally vote Republican, but will vote Democratic because of their distaste for President Trump.
“Character is important. I feel like my personality deep inside is at a turning point,” he said.
But even within the Indian-American community, which spans a variety of religions, languages, castes, and economic backgrounds, there are many questions about Harris’ racial identity and the extent to which she, whose parents were born in India and Jamaica, has ties to India. Questions have been raised as to whether it has taken root.
Trump, who visited India as president in 2020, forged a close relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a dynamic that resonated with Modi’s Hindu nationalist supporters. Some worry that Harris won’t prioritize a strong U.S.-India relationship.
Priti Pandya Patel, a New Jersey-based medical expert and president of the South Asian Coalition, said, “Some people talk about the India-US relationship, and President Trump has put a lot of effort into that relationship.” “I told him that I had paid him a lot of money,” he said. Designed to help Republicans connect with the South Asian community. “I don’t think Kamala Harris even visited India once during her time as vice president.”
President Joe Biden has sought to maintain close ties with India as part of his administration’s efforts to counter China, inviting the prime minister to an unusual state dinner in June 2023. Harris also hosted a luncheon for Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Prime Minister Modi during the event. visit. She promotes Indian-Americans by hosting cultural events, meeting with Indian-American business executives, and phone-banking and recruiting Indian-Americans using their native language. He has tried to curry favor with voters. Harris also opened up his official residence to a large number of Indian-Americans at his annual Diwali party.
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Donald Trump (left) shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a joint press conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020.
Shalabh Shari Kumar, chairman of the Republican National Committee’s Hindu Coalition, said the Trump campaign is trying to reach Indian American voters through door-to-door canvassing and acquired media outlets in India.
Republicans have sought to appeal to the South Asian community in recent years by centering on concerns about crime, education and the economy, issues that weigh heavily among some Asian Americans.
Pandya Patel said illegal immigration is one of his biggest concerns and he thinks the vice president should have found a way to address the issue over the past four years. President Trump and his allies have repeatedly criticized the Harris and Biden administrations on immigration.
“I came here in the 1970s. My father came here legally and worked hard to get to where he is. I feel like all these people who have been promoted through the ranks are being punished or not rewarded,” she said.
But winning the South Asian vote is not a given for either candidate. Kumar, of the Hindu Coalition of the Republican National Committee, said the Trump campaign has not been able to take full advantage of the Indian vote in battleground states as much as it did four years ago. He said Democrats have done a better job of community outreach this cycle.
Ramakrishnan said Harris’ popularity among South Asians, particularly Indian Americans, and especially those with rapidly growing populations in key battleground states like Georgia and North Carolina, will be crucial in November. It is argued that there is a possibility that
He told the BBC: “The fact that the South Asian population leans so heavily towards Harris and the turnout is high is likely enough to tell us how close the vote will be.” .
