Ritu Jha–
February 24, the day on which the South Carolina Republican Primary will be held, could well be the Day of Reckoning for Indian American presidential candidate Nikki Haley. It is when even her Republican Party followers believe she will likely withdraw from the campaign, making Donald Trump’s rematch with President Joe Biden an inevitability as the sole Republican contender.
That is, if you go by what the GOP followers say.
Haley, a former two-time South Carolina Governor and a former UN Ambassador (pictured above during her South Carolina campaign tour), on the other hand, does not think so. “Why should she,” ask those close to her. “She is not in a hurry to leave, and will go on until the Republican National Convention (this July in Milwaukee, Wisconsin).”
Former President Trump and Haley’s ex-boss has steamrolled his party’s rivals both in the popularity polls as well as in the party caucuses and primaries so far. Haley is the only major non-Trump contender left in the fray after both health-tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis withdrew last month.
The numbers, however, are not looking good for Haley even in South Carolina, her home state where she was expected to do well. According to the latest Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey of South Carolina voters, Trump has a 23-point lead over Haley, 58% to 35%. Seven percent are undecided. With undecided voters’ support accounted for, Trump’s support increases to 61%, and Haley’s to 39%.
The question, therefore, is, is there any point to Haley’s campaign? Indian American restaurateur Alok Kumar Akse says he and the Indian American community in Aiken, South Carolina will support her nonetheless. “We are supporting her, I will go to vote as well,” Akse, the owner of Taj Aiken Indian Cuisine, told indica. “She is one of our own, and her victory will bring pride to the community.”
Not everyone is candid about their support for Haley, though. One prominent member of the community, who declined to be named for this story, said there will be many businesses who will not say things openly for fear of retribution from the Trump camp. The Indian community recently hosted a Haley fundraiser, but Trump has openly warned Haley’s donors that he will not entertain them if they come over to his side after Haley’s loss.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social handle, “When I ran for Office and won, I noticed that the losing Candidate’s ‘Donors’ would immediately come to me, and want to ‘help out.’ This is standard in Politics, but no longer with me. Anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!”
Trump used the nickname “Birdbrain” to refer to Haley.
A prominent Indian American Republican Dr. Sampat Shivangi calls Haley “resilient,” for not giving up her campaign. He told indica that Haley is on the right track, “even though Trump’s popularity is more.”
Dr Shivangi reminds Republicans that Colorado has banned Trump from its ballot, and even though the state unit of the Republican Party has appealed, nothing is certain yet. “We do not know how other states would follow… the Georgia inquiry is coming up,” Dr Shivangi said.
He admitted that Haley is not as strong as the Indian American community had hoped, “but if something goes wrong with the Trump campaign, she will be the leading candidate.”
However, not all Indian Americans support Haley. Ramaswamy’s supporters are backing Trump as their policies and ideologies blend.
Sangay Mishra, author of ‘Desis Divided: The Political Lives of South Asian Americans’, and Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Drew University, told indica that Haley has come a long way in her campaign. He said Haley’s conversion to the Christian faith is not an issue because she was seen making rotis (Indian flatbread) at the Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib in New Delhi in 2018.
Prof Mishra said, “Haley benefitted from the anti-Obama sentiment in the Republican Party during his tenure and she aligned with Trump, serving in his administration. She has tried both approaches — a hard right anti-immigrant mobilization and then taking a moderate turn, particularly while challenging Trump. It is hard to know who Haley is in terms of her politics. Visiting a gurdwara is great but she has not had an inclusive approach.”
Haley describes herself as the “new generation of Republican leadership,” and has asserted on many occasions that both Trump and Biden are “two old men who are only getting older.”
Prof Mishra believes that the Indian American community support may not matter when a person is a presidential candidate. “We have seen both kinds of trends, where Desis and South Asian candidates rely on the community for support — both for votes as well as for money. And, we see examples where South Asian candidates have contested from districts that are primarily White or Black. Therefore, there is nothing inevitable in terms of South Asian support for candidates.”
He added, “With a growing South Asian population, we do see more and more candidates from the community, connecting with members for their political aspirations. Some of it could be only for money — campaign contributions — whereas depending on the area, South Asians could be a part of the electorate too.”
Venture capitalist Tim Draper’s Silicon Valley fundraiser saw some Indian Americans attend and donate money to Haley’s campaign. According to the New York Times, the Political Action Committee (PAC) backing Nikki Haley had raised $50.1 million in the second half of 2023.
According to the Federal Election Commission, she raised more than $17 million between October 2023 and Jan 2024.
Haley may have raised funds from Indian American VCs, but she is unable to garner large-scale community support. “Indian Americans have been overwhelmingly Democratic in their political orientation,” said Prof Mishra. “On policy issues, Indian Americans are opposed to the kind of position that Haley and Ramaswamy take on abortion, guns, healthcare, immigration, environment, and race relations.”
He added, “They (the Indian American candidates) have not done anything to reach out to Indian Americans, and the Republican primaries have mostly focused on White voters. To attract them, they have made statements that do not appeal to Indian Americans on all issues.”
He said that in a large section of the Indian American community, there is a sense that the dominant white population is hostile towards minorities; there is a sense of unease about their acceptance in this country. “The Republican Party and Trump have exploited and enhanced that hostility by invoking white racial resentment,” Prof Mishra said. “Both these candidates have not done anything to address that. In fact, they have tried to benefit from that.”
