Washington, Oct 27 (IANS) A growing number of Indian American voters who backed Republicans in 2024 are signalling they may switch sides in the November 3 midterm elections, citing a rise in anti-Indian rhetoric within the conservative movement, according to new polling and community leaders.
A recent survey commissioned by the advocacy group Indian American Impact found that a quarter of Indian Americans who voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 planned to vote for Democrats in the midterms, US media reported. Democrats led Republicans among likely voters at around 66 per cent, while nearly two-thirds of Independent South Asian voters said they were undecided.
“There are a large chunk of [Indian American] voters who are, for lack of a better word, having buyers remorse,” Chintan Patel, executive director of Indian American Impact, told local media. “That’s something that is building across the community as we’re talking about hate and discrimination.”
The poll found that, like most voters, Indian Americans ranked the cost of living and healthcare as top issues.
A February survey by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace found that seven in 10 Indian Americans disapproved of Trump’s second-term performance, but also that just 46 per cent identified as Democrats, down from 2020, The Verge reported. About one-third of Indian Americans supported Trump in 2024.
Anang Mittal, a longtime conservative strategist who previously worked for Senator Mitch McConnell, told The Verge that Republican politicians believe they can tolerate anti-Indian remarks because the community is small. An estimated 5.2 million Indian Americans live in the US, just over 1.5 per cent of the population.
“They decided there’s no price to be paid when it comes to engaging in language that treats Indian immigrants as outsiders and not compatible with American culture,” Mittal said.
In Texas, home to the country’s most expensive Senate race, community leaders said the shift is visible. “I’ve seen a few people who say they’re just going to vote Democrat straight down the ballot, to send a message to the Republican Party that they’re not going to tolerate it,” Rishi Bhutada, a Houston businessman and board member of the Hindu American Foundation said.
The rhetoric has included a post by Bo French, the Republican candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner, about South Asian fans at a University of Texas football game, which Governor Greg Abbott said was “not my message.” Conservative commentator Chris Rufo also hosted a podcast episode titled “The Indian Question.”
Community leaders have linked the online climate to recent incidents, including an alleged plot to attack a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, and the stabbing of Sikh truck driver Gurvinder Singh in Wyoming.
“We could have been talking about a massive tragedy,” Patel said of the Illinois case.
One US media outlet said districts with significant Indian American populations include New Jersey’s 7th and Pennsylvania’s 1st, both Democratic pick-up targets, as well as swing states Georgia and Michigan.
On Monday, Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said he was leading “256 bipartisan cosponsors in a resolution to designate July as Indian American Heritage Month.” The Hindu American Foundation said it “was proud to support this bipartisan resolution.”
–IANS
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