By Ritu Jha-
With the elections just three months away, Republican candidates are scrambling to win support from Indian American and South Asian American voters, and they say they expect to fare better than usual.
Asian Americans have been a rapidly growing group of eligible voters in the U.S. over the past two decades, growing by 15% in the last four years alone and turning out in record numbers in every federal election since 2016, according to the Asian American Voter Survey released July 10.
The survey also found 42% of Asian American voters have not been contacted by either the Democratic or Republican parties or candidates, including 50% who say they have not been contacted by the
Democratic Party and 57% who say they have not been contacted by the Republican Party.
Still, Republicans say they’re trying harder to reach out these voters, and they feel more confident than ever that they’re succeeding. Vin Kruttiventi, candidate for California Congressional 14th district representative, told indica that there are reports and surveys saying that the Indian diaspora is up for grabs for the Republican Party.
“A few months back, I believe a majority of the Indian diaspora was Democratic,” Kruttiventi said. “And then a survey said that now only 46% of the Indian diaspora is with Democrats. The rest are either with the Republican Party or they are independent.”“Many demographics, countries, and people have it easy, but the Indian diaspora has it the most difficult here to establish ourselves. And that is one thing I want to fight for. That’s a big part of my platform. Nothing happened in this government on this issue at present. Both sides did not do anything.”
The Indian American Republican says he came to the U.S. on a work visa and is “extremely passionate” about solving the green card backlog forever. However, only 71% of Asian Americans said immigration is their most important issue, placing it last among these voters’ priorities.
Most cited the economy, with 86% sayings it’s “extremely” or “very” important; inflation (85%), healthcare (85%), crime (80%), education (80%), Social Security and Medicare (79%), cost of housing (78%), national security (77%), and gun control (73%).
Kruttiventi says the Democratic Party has moved too far to the left for most Bay Area voters.
“If you look at it, most Indians are centrist,” he said. “They are neither too far left nor right. They want to live a normal life. With all of the crime, the taxes, and new laws that affect school-going students’
parents and kids, they say that they will vote a little differently this time and that is great news for us.”
He says that Republicans are on a winning streak.
“There are several factors coming into play, at least in California. One is the mismanagement of the state by elected Democrats. Anti-incumbency is working in our favor. Then the assassination attempt on Trump will give us another four or five points. The Israel-Palestinian conflict is affecting the younger demographic and that too might affect the voter turnout for Biden or for Democrats. So a combination of all of these factors is going to be in play. People, including the Indian Americans, are also looking forward to making some more money or saving money, and not having to pay taxes, that too will be an important factor in favor of the Republican Party.”
Priti Pandya-Patel, founder of the New Jersey Republican Party’s South Asian Coalition, agreed.
”Indians and other South Asian communities work so hard and yet they have to give their money away in taxes,” Pandya-Patel said. “I’m all for helping other people, but I want to choose to be able to help when
I want to help. The government shouldn’t tell me where I need to help. Saving money for your family is a big thing for the Republican Party.”
Of course, Democrats say Republican attempts to stereotype them as uncaring about taxes is nothing new, and it won’t work this election either. Rajiv Bhateja, co-founder of TheySeeBlue.org, says voters see through the tired strategy.
“We can make endless arguments about how to slice up the tax pie and protect our job security,” Bhateja said.
Bhateja said Democrats are quite confident voters will reject Trump again. He said the Republican Party has “lost all semblance of credibility by supporting a convicted felon, fraud artist, climate denier, sexual predator and narcissist for president.
“He has tried to overturn the Constitution and severely impacted women’s health choices. A man who married two immigrants claims that immigrants – that’s us by the way – are poisoning the blood of Americans. He has no business being anywhere near the halls of power. Democracy is like oxygen. It’s more important than what we wear, drive, or saving a few percent in taxes. Without it we have nothing.”
Remarkably, both parties have Indian ancestry in their tickets. Democrat Kamala Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, immigrated from the southern Indian village of Thulasendrapuram. And Trump’s vice presidential pick, Republican Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, is married to Usha Vance, whose parents hail from Andhra Pradesh, India.
Usha’s grandfather, Chilukuri Rama Sastri, taught physics at IIT Madras, and her father is an IIT Madras
graduate in mechanical engineering who teaches at San Diego State University. Her mother is a molecular biologist and provost at the University of California, San Diego.
Kruttiventi says Indian Americans will identify more with Usha than Harris, especially in the Bay Area where she’s from.
“I feel that she can provide good counseling and guidance to JD Vance who is in play for future presidency,” Kruttiventi said. “Having somebody who can relate and adapt to the Indian culture is huge. That makes me really excited about the future prospects of the Indian diaspora. We are trying to do a fundraiser in the Bay Area for Trump, where we wish to call Usha and meet her.”
Sampat Shivangi, president of Indian American Forum for Political Education Fund, agreed. He said Vance learned to cook Indian from her mother.
“Harris never considered herself as an Indian, never,” he said. “Her father is African (Jamaican American) but even I met her and saw, and she tried too.”