Resonating with immigrants

Sumathi Madhure, 63, a physical therapist in New Hampshire, says she’s never seen this level of enthusiasm among Indian American voters. He says it all started when Harris took office as the Democratic Party candidate.

“Voter turnout has skyrocketed in the Indian-American community,” says Madhure, co-chair of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) New Hampshire Democrats. “It’s in fundraising, in volunteering… you see it everywhere. In fact, before it was very difficult to recruit them. Now it’s difficult to keep them out. People want to knock on doors and make phone calls.”

A July poll suggested that 46 percent of Indian Americans would cast their vote for President Joe Biden. That share rose to 69 percent when Harris topped the list.

Madhure reaches out to Indian and other South Asian voters by calling Democrats’ phones three nights a week. He knocks on about 700 doors on weekends to vote.

He was even chosen as one of the delegates who chose Kamala Harris as their candidate at his party’s national convention.

Madhure says she can’t believe the changes she’s seen in the four decades since she moved to the United States from India. When he was 20 years old, he could not have imagined that someone who shared his ethnicity would run for president.

“Every time I went out and saw another Indian, at the grocery store or anywhere else, we would go and tap them on the shoulder, connect with them, and invite each other to our homes for dinner,” he says. “We were trying to create a community. These were like little streams.”

Now, he feels the streams of Indian immigrants are flowing into a “solid river” beneath Harris.

“First-generation immigrants always feel like we weren’t born and raised here,” he says. “My children feel differently. But we are Indians. Harris’ legacy gives us legitimacy. The fact that someone who looks like me could be president makes me feel American, even if I am.”

“Sleeping Giant”

The population of Indian Americans grew from 387,000 in 1980 to 4.4 million in 2020, according to analysis from AAPI Data, an organization focused on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. This includes more than two million voters.

Shekar Narasimhan, founder of the AAPI Victory Fund, describes this voting bloc as a “Sleeping Giant.”

He says most first-generation immigrants focus on working hard for their families. And voting doesn’t necessarily have to be a priority, especially if you don’t think your vote matters. But he says those in the second generation have a deeper connection with politics and believe they should have a say.

While Indian Americans are still a small segment of the US electorate, their numbers are large enough in battleground states to make a difference.

Georgia is an example. A survey shows that 70,000 Indian Americans are eligible to vote in the state. In the election four years ago, the difference was only 11 thousand votes.

“So they believe they can be part of that difference,” says Narasimhan. “But they’re from Indian country. They’re Indian Americans. That doesn’t mean they care about the exact same things.”

Indian Americans for Trump

Aware of their growing influence, Indian-origin Republicans are also making their voices heard.

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy campaigned for the Republican nomination but lost to Donald Trump. Usha Vance, wife of Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance, joined her husband on the campaign trail.

Republican supporters believe they can make a difference in this tight race.

Yagnesh Choksi, 71, chairman of the South Asian Republican Coalition, is holding roundtables in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, to understand what voters are thinking. He has supported the party for thirty years.

“Trump is the right candidate because he acts tough. If he doesn’t get results, he takes action immediately,” he says. “It’s a complete mess at this point: economically, security-wise, and jobs-wise. Democrats are not taking good action for small business, they’re not taking any action. And our entire Indian community is in small business.”

Other small business owners who attended the roundtable echoed Choksi’s complaint that the current administration has failed them.

“What’s happened over the last four years is that a lot of people feel like they’ve been deceived by what the Democrats have done,” says Republican voter Prashant Shah.

Another supporter Arun Pareek agrees. “The biggest issue on everyone’s mind is the economy and how we are suffering,” he says.

Devesh Kapur, professor of South Asian Studies at Johns Hopkins University, said an October poll showed Harris continuing to receive support from Indian Americans. But they say their loyalty to the blue party is waning: 47 percent of those surveyed identify as Democrats; this rate was 56 percent in 2020.

He points to one segment of society: “Harris has a two-to-one lead over Trump in terms of voting preferences. But we’ve seen a decline, especially among young male voters born in the US… and it’s not clear to us why in the survey.”

Choksi says he detected a change when he called voters for the first time.

“I see new registrations in every county and voters switching parties,” he says. “And they are changing from Democrat to Republican. Until now, Americans thought it was a minority community, but this time they will realize that Indian voters are equally important.”