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Indian American support for Biden sharply declines: Poll
Only 16 percent of Indian Americans view Vice President Kamala Harris very favorably.
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Representative image / Canva
SAN FRANCISCO, California — Indian American support for President Joe Biden has plummeted over the past 4 years with just 46 percent saying they will vote for him, down from 65 percent in 2020, according to the 2024 Asian American Voter Survey released July 10 morning.
The survey was conducted by AAPI Data, and released jointly by APIA Vote, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
In an interview with New India Abroad ahead of the survey’s release, Dr. Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder of AAPI Data, said, “Among Indian Americans, Biden lost support between 2020 and 2024. But it's not like (Republican Presidential nominee Donald) Trump gained that much among Indian Americans.”
“What we saw was a jump in the people say they want to vote for someone else. And a big jump among Indian Americans who say that they don't know who they will vote for.”
“So what the data points to is a fair amount of dissatisfaction among Indian Americans who might have supported Biden in 2020, but are not satisfied with that choice in 2024. That said, Biden still beats Trump in a head-to-head match-up among Indian Americans and among Asian Americans more generally,” said Ramakrishnan.
46 percent of Indian Americans polled said they would vote for Biden, while 29 percent said they would vote for Trump. 5 percent said they would vote for another candidate, while 20 percent said they did not know.
In terms of political party affiliation, 47 percent of Indian Americans identify as Democrats, while 21 percent identify as Republicans. 25 percent of Indian American voters are Independent, while 5 percent are undecided, representing a significant bloc that could successfully be courted by either party.
The President’s perceived poor handling of the economy, including inflation, is a big issue for Indian American voters. And there is also dissatisfaction with his immigration policy. Some Democrats feel he’s not doing enough to protect immigrant rights, while others feel he has not done enough to stem the tide at the border.
In the past two weeks after a disastrous debate performance by Biden June 27, there has been increasing chatter for the President to drop out of the race. Ramakrishnan said Indian American support for Biden would likely remain about the same, if the survey was taken today.
Support for Trump has increased marginally, as Asian American voters feel he is better equipped to take on the failing economy and the migrant crisis at US borders.
Indian American support for Vice President Kamala Harris has also diminished, with just 16 percent of Indian Americans saying they view her very favorably, and 38 percent saying they view her somewhat favorably. 48 percent view her unfavorably, while 4 percent say they don’t know enough about her. Harris has been discussed as the obvious choice to lead the Democratic ticket should Biden choose to drop out.
“Harris is associated with Biden. So I think that accounts for some of that diminishment in support,” said Ramakrishnan, adding that perceptions of a poor performance on immigration may also have played a role. “It’s a far cry from what we saw in 2020, where you saw an outburst of pride among Indian Americans and South Asians. I think some of that novelty has likely worn off.”
“But looking ahead, if there is an opportunity for Harris to be a potential candidate for president this year, I think you'll probably see another burst of activity and potentially another burst of pride.
Support for former Republican presidential hopefuls Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy were slightly higher among Indian Americans. “There may be such a thing as ethnic pride, but it does not hold a candle to partisanship, which is the biggest determinant of how Indian Americans will vote,” said Ramakrishnan.
Key issues for Indian Americans include: more restrictive gun laws, language access, family-based immigration, and climate change.
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