ATLANTA — Indian American voters in Georgia have been active in volunteering and donating during this election cycle.
The reason is simple: Vice President Kamala Harris will make history on Thursday night as the first South Asian American and Black woman to accept a major party's presidential nomination in the United States.
And she won't be the only Indian-American to gain national prominence in American politics in 2024. Both Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy are running for the Republican nomination, and this time Usha Vance, wife of Republican vice presidential nominee and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, could become the next second lady.
In Georgia, a battleground state that President Joe Biden won by just 12,000 votes in 2020, Asian American voter turnout has grown faster than any other group, and their recent representation in US politics has many Indian American voters especially excited.
According to an analysis conducted by AAPI Data, Indian American voter turnout has always been high, at 71% in 2020. But for many, their political engagement ended there. During this election cycle, many organizers and leaders of groups like Post March Salon and South Asian Women for Harris say they've seen a surge in Indian Americans wanting to volunteer and donate.
The Chhabras have been phone banking and writing letters to rally support for Harris. NBC News
Jasmina Chhabra, a 43-year-old working mother who lives in the Atlanta area, said she is one of those energized voters. “The moment they announced that VP Harris was nominated, I felt a sudden surge of elation. I was so amazed that there was another chance for a woman to become president, and when you consider that she is a South Asian woman of color,” Chhabra said.
She is currently volunteering as chair of the Georgia chapter of Post March Salon, the group that organized a fundraising Zoom call for South Asian women supporting Harris that raised more than $300,000 from about 9,000 participants in two hours.
Chhabra said she also supports Harris's stance on women's rights and equality. As a mother, she said it's inspiring for her daughter to see someone who looks like her elected president. Many Indian-American supporters of Harris have created memes on social media and sold merchandise advertising “Lotus for President,” a play on Kamala's name, which means lotus in Sanskrit.
There are 4.4 million Indian Americans in the United States, making them the largest subgroup within the Asian American community and the second-largest immigrant group in the country after Mexicans. Experts say Indian American voters could influence the outcome of the 2024 election, especially in battleground states. In Georgia, a battleground state that voted for Donald Trump in 2016 but flipped to the Democrats in 2020, Asian American voter turnout has risen faster than Latino, white and black voter turnout, according to AAPI data.
“In close races, Asian Americans can make a difference,” said Bernard Fraga, a political science professor at Emory University, because Indian Americans are the largest nationality group among the state's Asian American population. “If the election here remains close, they're poised to have a big impact in 2024.”
According to the AAPI Data Survey 2024, 55% of Indian Americans identify as Democrats, 25% as Republicans, and 15% as independents. Though still a majority, the number of Indian Americans who identify as Democrats has decreased since 2020, while the number of Indian Americans who identify as Republicans has increased.
Kartik Bhatt, a Georgia resident who emigrated from India at age 19, is similarly enthusiastic about the Republican 2024 election. Now 42, Bhatt went from working in a grocery store to managing a shopping plaza in suburban Atlanta. He's also running for statewide office. He believes Trump would be better on policies that help small business owners like him and would be tougher on the border, focusing more on issues than identity politics. He said he's seen excitement in the Indian community around this election.
“Earlier, people from the Indian, Asian and South Asian communities, from India, Pakistan and Nepal, didn't know about the elections. … Now a lot of people are registering to vote,” Bhatt said.
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