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Indian Americans weigh in ahead of Nov. 5 elections
While community members remain divided over Harris and Trump, they believe that the results will not have a major impact on India-US bilateral relations, which is a bipartisan priority.
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Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican opponent former U.S. President Donald Trump are seen in a combination of file photographs taken in Chandler, Arizona, U.S., October 10, 2024 and in Evans, Georgia, U.S., October 4, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein and Octavio Jones/File Photo / Reuters
As the United States approaches the pivotal election on Nov. 5, Indian Americans are closely monitoring the high-stakes contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
With over 4 million Indian Americans, this community plays a significant role in this election cycle, particularly in key battleground states where their votes could determine the outcome.
Sanjeev Joshipura, executive director of Indiaspora, emphasized the importance of Indian American voters, stating, “It’s clear that neither party nor any presidential candidate can ignore the Indian American community.”
“Whether it be in terms of policy input, service in government, fundraising, or campaign staffing and volunteering, Indian Americans have a voice at the highest levels of government.”
According to Joshipura, the issues likely to influence the election will center around economic concerns and everyday challenges faced by the electorate.
“How people feel about the economy and their prospects of progress under each candidate. I expect that issues like immigration and abortion will also play a big role,” he said.
While national polls suggest a neck-and-neck race between Trump and Harris, Indian American business and political fundraiser Dinesh Sastry believes Harris holds an advantage, particularly following Trump’s controversial Madison Square Garden rally where a comedian addressing the rally, mocked Puerto Rico, calling it a 'floating sland of garbage."
“There are 500,000 Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania and 1.2 million in Florida and 100,000 in North Carolina. They are all U.S. citizens because Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory. Trump will not recover from this,” Sastry asserted.
In contrast, he noted that Harris presented an optimistic vision for unifying the country during her speech at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., where she stated that those who disagreed with her would have a “seat at the table.” “This is a winning message. You will see in the final week that polls and undecided voters will break in favor of Harris-Walz,” he told New India Abroad.
“Harris-Walz will win unexpected states, and Democrats will secure surprising Senate seats and House races. It is not as close as people are saying; it will actually look like a blue tsunami on November 5-6,” he added. “South Asian voters, particularly Indian voters, will help Harris-Walz win battleground states like North Carolina and Georgia.”
Agreeing on the inaccuracies of election polls, Kapil Sharma, political strategist and founder of Kapstone Strategies, argued that pollsters often underreport support for Trump by a few percentage points. “There is no clear winner in the Presidential race. A close race favors Trump,” Sharma stated, adding that regardless of the outcome, both sides will likely claim some form of election fraud.
“It will be key for either winner to be gracious and try to unite the country. However, with both parties calling each other's base names, I’m not sure how that can happen,” he remarked.
Sharma also highlighted the importance of Senate and House races, predicting that federal and state Indian American candidates will perform well this year. “I anticipate seeing six Indian Americans in the House of Representatives (five incumbents and Suhas) and some new faces in various state legislatures nationwide.”
As the election date nears, the Indian American community remains a crucial demographic to watch, with the potential to sway outcomes in key states. A recent survey indicates that a majority of this demographic leans towards Harris, citing her policies on immigration, healthcare, and education as significant factors. However, a substantial faction within the community still resonates with Trump’s message, particularly regarding economic growth and national security.
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