Indian Americans lean left. Will they vote for Harris? I asked

I learned that Indian Americans may favor Democratic candidates because the current political climate makes it difficult to switch to the Republicans.

It’s no secret that a disproportionate number of people took part in this election cycle. Indian Americans rise to political prominence.

First up is Vice President Kamala Harris. The Democratic presidential candidate is known to have been born into a family Tamil Indian mother And black jamaican father.

On the Republican sideTwo people of Indian origin, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, ran in the presidential primaries. AND lawyer Usha Vance could become second lady if her husband, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, and former President Donald Trump win Tuesday’s election.

As a woman of Indian descent, it made me think about the political priorities of my community as a whole.

Indian Americans are clearly leaning Democratic

On the one hand, we know that Indian Americans are now a solid Democratic constituency. According to the Pew Research Center, 68% of Indian American registered voters identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party. They also tend to support liberal positions on contemporary political issues.

For example, extensive majority of Indian Americans surveyed in 2020 spoke out against travel bans on citizens from Muslim-majority countries and police use of force against peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters.

On the other hand, the Indian diaspora in America lives by many of the ideals espoused by conservatives. Ethnic group has highest indicator of family stability in the nation, and its culture places a high value on personal responsibility. Indian Americans also make up wealthy minority group who may be inclined to support conservative fiscal policies such as tax cuts.

For me, this seeming inconsistency begged the question: Why can a group that appears to be conservative in nature consistently support liberal politicians and policies?

Of course, I had my own assumptions. Obviously, I believed that Indian Americans were turned off by many Republicans’ opposition to immigration, as well as by conservative intolerance of minorities.

I wondered why so many of us vote liberal. That’s why I asked.

But I still wondered how Indian Americans themselves could understand the apparent gap between their lifestyle and political views. Did they agree that there was a breakup at all? Have they made a conscious choice not to preach what they practice?

To find out, I spoke with two close family friends who immigrated to the United States from India in 1979 and have lived in this country—and witnessed all the political changes it has undergone—since then. Their responses taught me a lot not only about the political leanings of members of my community, but also about the reasons why all Americans, regardless of whether they are ethnic minorities, vote the way they do.

Early in our conversation, I asked pediatric oncologist Narayana Gowda, 73, and his wife Maitri Gowda, 72, of Florida, how they identified politically and whether their party affiliation had changed over the years. We have the same last name because it is common in the region of India where our families are from. It is also common among South Asians to call older family friends “uncle” and “aunty.”

“Ever since I became a citizen, I have always voted Democratic,” the uncle said. “This year, however, I had doubts about whether I should vote Democratic, vote Republican, or not vote at all, because there were certain things I liked about both candidates. But in the end I voted for Kamala Harris.”

He joked, “My aunt told me I should vote for Harris.”

The aunt said that when she thinks about Trump, she gets scared. She cited the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and Trump’s comments targeting religious and ethnic minorities as reasons for her distaste for the Republican presidential candidate.

I asked her if she supported Democratic candidates before Trump took office, and she replied, “Yes, I’ve always been a Democrat.”

“We were foreigners when we came here. When I was watching TV and the Republicans were talking, I thought, “Oh my God, they can change everything.” »

The uncle said, “As minorities, we felt more comfortable with the leadership of the Democratic Party and that they accepted people like us.”

I then asked the couple about their perceptions of Indian-American political behavior in general.

“There are two groups among Indians—this is my perception,” he told me. “One group consists of wealthy members of society who are attracted to Republicans because they support lower tax rates. The other group consists of people who may or may not be wealthy, but who look at the big picture, including social issues – they tend to support Democrats.”

When I asked about the conservatism of the Indian American community, he stated, “Social conservatism is part of the Indian psyche. We are social conservatives in the way we raise our families, spend our money, and are not wasteful in our daily lives. We are also fiscally conservative, not only for our family but for the nation.”

So why the consistent support from Democrats?

Uncle paused. “Because we are people. Inconsistencies are natural,” he replied.

The aunty added, “It’s because we are minorities. Indians identify themselves first as minorities and then as social and fiscal conservatives.”

I learned that today’s political climate affects voting.

The couple’s answers didn’t surprise me, but their frankness did.

I didn’t expect them to not only agree with me that Indian Americans are conservative in the way they conduct their daily lives, but also agree that their values are inconsistent with their own political views.

Our conversation taught me that social identity, rather than moral views or beliefs about politics, is often the driving force behind political party affiliation and support for one candidate over another.

More importantly, their views showed me that while it may seem strange to minorities—or anyone else, for that matter—to support political parties and candidates with which they may not entirely agree, they are certainly not being fooled , forcing them to vote against their interests.

They are simply making a judgment that in today’s political climate, their identity is at stake more than their personal values or wallets.

Surya Gowda – Fact Checker USA TODAY Opinion.