"Kamala Harris could be game-changer for Indian-American voters, donors": American political scientist on Biden endorsing her for US President

By Reena Bharadwaj
Washington, DC [US], July 22 : As some of the most powerful leaders of the Democratic establishment embraced Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday after President Joe Biden's shocking exit from the presidential re-election race, a professor of public policy and political science has observed that the Indian-American community could coalesce around Kamala Harris.
Karthick Ramakrishnan, researcher at University of California, Berkeley and founder of AAPI Data, said, "This really shakes up the race in a big way. And I can imagine a lot of Indian American donors and activists, elected officials, you know, Pramila Jaipal already came out today endorsing Kamala."
"I think it will indeed be a game changer," Ramakrishnan told ANI.
Harris, whose late mother was born in India, is the first Indian-American candidate to make a serious run at the presidency.
In public statements and appearances, Harris doesn't shy away from her Indian heritage. She has often publicly said, "My mother, Shyamala, came from India to study the science of fighting disease."
As Kamala's candidacy takes shape in the days ahead, Ramakrishnan observed that the Indian American community will get behind Harris as they view her favorably.
"Past research indicates that when you have someone who comes from your community on the ballot, you tend to vote, your community is more likely to vote. So I would anticipate Indian American turnout to be among the highest that it's been in recent elections if indeed it is Harris at the top of the ticket," Ramakrishnan told ANI.
Indian-Americans are a relatively small proportion of voters--about 4 million in the United States--and they traditionally skew Democratic. Indian-Americans are also among the most affluent voters in the country, making them a powerful potential donor base.
In many states and counties where races are tight, winning a sizable portion of the Indian American vote could make the difference.
"So this is definitely... a community that is energized and mobilized and I think you'll continue to see that this year, Indian Americans have been more Democrat than Republican consistently. My sense is that Harris will probably improve upon Biden's performance among Indian Americans," he said.
"I think both parties will be competing for Indian-American votes and also Indian American contributions. Trump... in his vetting of his potential vice presidential candidates, surely knew that Usha Vance is J.D. Vance's wife. So he must have calculated that it wouldn't hurt him politically too much among others," he noted.
"And Kamala Harris has much stronger favorability ratings than Haley and Ramasamy do among the Indian American population. So this is still a game where the Democrats and Harris in particular will have a stronger advantage than Trump, even if he tries to bring Usha Vance into the equation. It's unlikely to reverse the pattern," he further said.
The 2018 and 2020 elections saw record increases in voter turnout among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).
In 2020, Asian Americans saw a significant double-digit increase in presidential turnout (11 points) and also had the highest midterm turnout gain in 2018, a 14-point increase. In 2020, almost 60 per cent (7.6 million) of the Asian American citizen-age voting population turned out.
Meanwhile, in battleground states such as Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, the number of Asian Americans who cast their ballot in 2020 exceeded the presidential margin of victory.
In the past two decades, Asian Americans have also become one of the fastest-growing racial or ethnic groups in the United States. Between 2010 and 2020, the Asian population in the United States grew by 39 per cent, and their population is projected to pass 35 million by 2060.
Republicans may not be on the verge of winning over the Indian diaspora in America. But even marginal gains could be notable in closely contested states and now with Kamala Harris on the ticket, the Trump Vance campaign will compete vigorously for Asian and Indian American votes and dollars.
"But I think what you will find is that among a lot of Democratic donors and also Democratic voters, especially younger voters, Black voters, Asian American voters, a lot more enthusiasm than what you found even a week ago...So it's going to be a very volatile and unpredictable year when it comes to the US election," the researcher added.
Vice President Kamala Harris swiftly moved to secure support for her White House bid shortly after President Joe Biden announced his decision not to seek re-election.
On Sunday, Harris engaged with key figures on Capitol Hill, including Rep Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash) of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Rep Nanette Barragan (D-Calif) of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Rep Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH) of the New Democrat Coalition, all of whom have already endorsed her candidature.
Harris also connected with Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), who enthusiastically shared on social media platform X, "She is ready to win in Wisconsin!!!"
In response to Biden's endorsement, Harris expressed gratitude in a statement, "I am honoured to have the President's endorsement, and my intention is to earn and win this nomination."