Kamala Harris' nomination caused "momentum at grassroots" says Shekhar Narasimhan founder AAPI Victory Fund

He stated that for the first time, there is someone on the ticket he can identify with as a first-generation immigrant.

Shekhar Narasimhan. / New India Abroad

AAPI Victory Fund founder Shekhar Narasimhan emphasized the momentum at the grassroots level caused by US Vice President Kamala Harris’ nomination for presidential elections.

“This election will be about a lot of new people showing up and saying, I want to show that I'm voting for a woman, a woman who's got a Jamaican and Indian heritage, a first generation immigrant, highly qualified, competent person,” Narasimhan said in an interview with New India Abroad.

“These are organic things that are happening. And they happen once in a lifetime,” he said, highlighting the unprecedented enthusiasm among younger, second-generation Indian Americans and South Asian Americans who are eager to engage in the campaign and vote for Harris.

“It led to record fundraising numbers, 126 million in 72 hours for the campaign. But the most important thing about that is that 440,000 unique contributors. In other words, the first time they've ever contributed to a campaign, so we are finding that energy.” Narasimhan said.

Eight-state crucial for Harris

According to him, that energy needs to be galvanized and built into a movement for the Democratic party especially in the seven crucial states - Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina.

“I would like to actually add Florida to the mix. I believe that the growing Latino population there and the API population, particularly in central Florida, is significant enough to move the needle. Florida is good because it adds a whole new dimension to this race. So I'm hoping this becomes an eight-state race,” Narasimhan said.

Elaborating on the numbers, he said that earlier getting the required 270 was considered enough but this cycle there is an aim for a much higher mandate with around 320 or more votes.

“Let us go for the broadest mandate she can get, because it will also give us the opportunity to take back the House, hold the Senate, and be able to get things done,” Narasimhan said.

Call for humane immigration policy

On immigration Narasimhan advocated for the United States to adopt a more humane immigration policy, providing pathways to citizenship and ensuring legal immigration.

“US should take care of those that have come here, grew up as children, as an example, in our community. They came here. They worked hard. They're getting educated, and now they've been told, whoops, Sorry, it's going to take too long. You'll have to go back home. I think we should take care of those people.”

As a first-generation immigrant herself, Narasimhan expressed hope that Harris, if elected to the White House, will be able to stand up for legal immigration and get the policy changes passed through Congress.

‘Trump has difficulty dealing with women’

Speaking about Harris’ Republican opponent, Donald Trump, and the challenges he might present, Narasimhan stated that predicting his actions or statements is nearly impossible, as he is an “obsessed narcissist” who improvises constantly.

According to him, Trump's attacks on Harris reveal his confusion and inability to formulate a coherent response. Narasimhan went on to say that, the former president may even struggle to interact with women, as evidenced by his difficulty during debates with Hillary Clinton.

“He seems to have trouble dealing with women, frankly. When you looked on the stage when he had the debate Hillary Clinton, he had difficulty dealing with her. So I think that he has difficulty dealing with women. I think he absolutely does not know what to do with a person of color who's black and South Asian.”

Narasimhan also accused Trump of deliberately mispronouncing Harris's name. “He's doing it deliberately because he's trying to say, she's different. She's not one of us. It's a very big, it's like a bullhorn saying that. Calling her names, that's his style. That's what he does,” he concluded.