Indian-American voters encouraged by Harris, but see Trump’s appeal

On a recent October evening on New York’s Upper East Side, hundreds of influential Indian Americans, from Bollywood actors to tech executives, dressed in dazzling outfits and heavy jewelry, gathered over cocktails to celebrate the Hindu Festival of Lights at the chic The Pierre Hotel. .

But while the invitation called for Diwali celebrations, the party was buzzing with excitement over the latest political milestone for the Indian American community: Kamala Harris became the first US presidential candidate of South Asian descent to top a major party ticket.

“This time is so unique because we actually have someone we can relate to and hopefully has our best interests at heart,” Jessel Taank, the first Indian actor on Bravo’s reality show The Real, told the BBC. Housewives of New York.” at the All That Glitters Diwali Ball.

“You can’t be what you can’t see,” added Reshma Saujani, CEO of Girls Who Code and the first Indian-American woman to run for US Congress in 2010, noting that so many South Asian girls see themselves in Harris.

Harris’ challenge is to channel that enthusiasm among a booming immigrant population that has expanded beyond the traditional South Asian strongholds of California and New York into battleground states like Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Both Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump have stepped up efforts to attract Indian Americans, the largest and most politically active group among Asian American voters, in a tight election where any demographic advantage could tip the outcome in their favor.

Harris became the first person of Indian descent, as well as the first woman and Black person, to be elected vice president in 2020. last decade.

Along with Harris, this presidential cycle has seen the rise of other Indian Americans, including Usha Vance, the wife of Donald Trump’s vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance. During the Republican primaries, voters were introduced to Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, who were both vying for Trump’s nomination.