Addressing a crowd of Indian Americans this week, Vice President Kamala Harris asserted the importance of South Asians running for office, saying there’s not nearly enough compared to the group’s size in the U.S.
Indian Americans are now the most populous “Asian-alone” group in the country, surpassing Chinese Americans in September. This means 4.4 million people identified themselves as “Indian-alone” — or 100% Indian — on the 2020 U.S. Census, marking a 55% increase over the course of a decade.
Despite that, there are just five Indian American members of Congress out of 535. Harris called on that to change in remarks Wednesday at the nonprofit organization Indian American Impact’s annual summit “Desis Decide” in Washington, D.C.
“Over the years, we’ve had so much more participation by Indian Americans in the electoral process running for office,” Harris said. “But the numbers are still not reflective of the size of the growing population.”
She encouraged the group to participate in any way possible and to regard this upcoming election as vital to their lives. Sixty-eight percent of Indian Americans lean toward the Democratic Party, making them one of the most progressive Asian American groups.
Experts say that Indian Americans are a demographic politicians can’t ignore this election season, as they have the potential to be the deciding vote in some of the regions where they’re concentrated. But despite the vice president’s appeal to South Asians at the event, the community is looking at both her and President Joe Biden with a critical eye. Many have mixed feelings.
Biden’s presidential approval rating has dropped among AAPI communities, Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and executive director of AAPI Data, told NBC News last month. Among Indian American voters, Biden has 43% approval.
Harris’ approval rating among Indian voters dropped from 62% in 2022 to 56% in 2023.
The progressive organization Hindus for Human Rights…
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