{"id":60173,"date":"2020-11-03T11:00:50","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T00:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=60173"},"modified":"2020-11-03T10:34:22","modified_gmt":"2020-11-02T23:34:22","slug":"the-rise-of-the-indian-american-voter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-rise-of-the-indian-american-voter\/","title":{"rendered":"The rise of the Indian-American voter"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

Beyond the major headlines surrounding the US presidential election, a little-noticed development is attracting attention both in India and among American campaign strategists. The rising influence of the Indian-American community in the United States\u2014though barely 1%<\/a> of the electorate\u2014has made it impossible for the world\u2019s oldest<\/a> democracy to ignore the world\u2019s largest.<\/p>\n

Indian-Americans are the second-largest<\/a> immigrant group in the US, and among the fastest-growing\u2014up by nearly 150%<\/a> over the last decade. They also are more affluent and highly educated than any other ethnic group, with a median income<\/a> nearly double the national average (estimated at US$100,000 in 2015). And they have been remarkably active politically, as voters, campaigners, donors and candidates. In the past two decades, two state governors, one US senator, five members of the House of Representatives and now a vice presidential candidate have been Americans of Indian descent.<\/p>\n

No wonder both major parties are actively courting Indian-American voters, a significant number of whom reside in potential swing states like Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Both presidential candidates have released television commercials in Indian languages on the leading networks broadcasting Indian programming in the US, and Joe Biden used the Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi to woo Indian-American voters.<\/p>\n

On the Democratic side, Biden\u2019s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California, has openly embraced her roots, using a Tamil term to describe her Indian aunts in her nomination acceptance speech this August. She has spoken at length<\/a> about her Indian ancestry, as well as visits to her grandfather and the conversations they had during seaside walks in Chennai. Moreover, Indian-American celebrities have campaigned enthusiastically for the Biden\u2013Harris ticket, with one fundraiser in September reportedly pulling in a record-breaking US$3.3 million<\/a> from the Indian-American community.<\/p>\n

For his part, US President Donald Trump responded to the Harris nomination with a campaign ad featuring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he has lavishly praised throughout his first term. As right-wing populists with a deep suspicion of minorities and a barely concealed bias against Muslims, Trump and Modi have developed something of a \u2018bromance\u2019. They have even held joint campaign-style rallies, sharing the stage<\/a> at a \u2018Howdy, Modi!\u2019 event in Texas and a \u2018Namaste Trump\u2019 event in Modi\u2019s home state of Gujarat.<\/p>\n

The Republicans have created a campaign organisation called Indian Voices for Trump, as well as various sub-groups<\/a> to target Hindu, Sikh and Muslim Indian-American voters separately. And Trump\u2019s handlers recently arranged for their candidate to preside over a rare White House naturalisation ceremony<\/a> featuring a sari-draped Indian-born software engineer.<\/p>\n

All of this attention has led some observers to suggest that Indian-Americans, who traditionally lean Democratic, may shift their support to Trump this election. There has certainly been a modest realignment from eight years ago, when 84%<\/a> of them voted to re-elect President Barack Obama. Still, a recent YouGov poll finds that 72%<\/a> of Indian-American voters support Biden, and, as one recent study concluded<\/a>, \u2018Indian Americans continue to be strongly attached to the Democratic Party, with little indication of a shift toward the Republican Party\u2019. When Trump described<\/a> India\u2019s air as \u2018filthy\u2019 at the second presidential debate, Biden was quick to reply that he wouldn\u2019t insult a friend that way.<\/p>\n

However, there are larger fault lines emerging within the Indian-American community. India\u2019s diaspora, though collectively influential, is deeply divided by ideology, religion, age, immigration history and even caste.<\/p>\n

Modi, for example, is a deeply polarising figure among Indian-Americans. Those who support him do so passionately, applauding his tough stance on issues such as Kashmir and Pakistan and his advocacy of an assertive majoritarian Hindutva<\/em> (Hindu nationalist) ideology. They cheered for his government\u2019s controversial Citizenship Amendment Act and his participation in a ceremony breaking ground for the construction of a Ram temple on the site of a demolished mosque.<\/p>\n

But Indian-Americans of a more liberal bent oppose Modi just as intensely. While their counterparts have cheered Modi\u2019s every appearance in America, they have protested outside his rallies, decrying his human-rights record. Modi\u2019s popularity among some Indian-American voters probably accounts for the slight shift towards Trump, but they are still far outnumbered by those expressing support for the Democratic ticket.<\/p>\n

Both tickets have their drawbacks, though. Trump\u2019s harsh immigration rhetoric and policies\u2014including severe restrictions on H-1B visas, which have disproportionately hurt Indian tech professionals\u2014certainly haven\u2019t helped his standing in the Indian-American community. But it remains to be seen how much the Democrats will be helped or harmed by their own politicians\u2019 unsparing criticism of Modi. Representatives Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Ro Khanna of California, echoed by Harris, have condemned<\/a> the Modi government\u2019s actions in Kashmir.<\/p>\n

If Biden wins, Harris\u2019s presence in the administration will ensure that India isn\u2019t overlooked, let alone forgotten. But that attention will cut both ways. Harris is bound to be a strong voice for democracy and human rights generally, which could put her at odds with the Modi government. When politicians have special ties to another country, they are more likely to adopt passionate and principled positions towards it. But this is not always welcome within that country, as would surely be the case with Modi and his allies.<\/p>\n

Modi\u2019s Indian-American supporters may feel that Trump\u2019s re-election would be \u2018good for India\u2019. But while Trump has uncritically embraced Modi and his Hindutva<\/em> agenda\u2014and there has been growing convergence on security co-operation, especially in view of Chinese assertiveness in the region\u2014his administration has not always been helpful to India. From tariffs and immigration restrictions to environmental politics, US policies over the past four years have needled New Delhi.<\/p>\n

Those Indian-Americans who dislike Trump can argue that a Democratic administration could hardly be worse. And Trump\u2019s close identification with Modi will affect the votes of Modi\u2019s Indian-American opponents.<\/p>\n

When asked recently by a White House reporter whether he thinks Indian-Americans will be voting for him, Trump confidently replied<\/a>: \u2018I do.\u2019 We\u2019ll soon learn if he was right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beyond the major headlines surrounding the US presidential election, a little-noticed development is attracting attention both in India and among American campaign strategists. The rising influence of the Indian-American community in the United States\u2014though barely …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1170,"featured_media":60175,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[83,69,31],"class_list":["post-60173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-elections","tag-india","tag-united-states","dinkus-us-election-2020"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe rise of the Indian-American voter | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-rise-of-the-indian-american-voter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The rise of the Indian-American voter | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Beyond the major headlines surrounding the US presidential election, a little-noticed development is attracting attention both in India and among American campaign strategists. 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