Democrats seek to woo Indian-Americans ahead of key elections

ALmost a twelvemonth after Donald ruff won substantive back up from Indian-Americans in the top up to his election as president, America’s opposition Democratic Party is making a concerted effort to win the community’s support ahead of two key state elections in New Jersey and Virginia.A number of key Democrat politicians and operatives in both states spoke to HT and outlined an outreach campaign which has focused on affordability, the impact of Trump’s tariffs on Indian-American businesses and Trump’s mishandling of the relationship with India.“Our candidates are going to Diwali events, garbas, navratri pujas and community events with Indian-American voters. We’re supporting a slate of local candidates of Indian origin as well. We want the community to feel seen and heard,” said Harini Krishnan, who serves as National Organising Chair for South Asians for America.On November 4, voters in New Jersey and Virginia will elect their new governors and state assemblies, and the Democratic Party is keen to wrest political momentum back from Trump ahead of next year’s crucial midterm elections. Both states have a large Indian-American community.According to AAPI data, Indian-Americans are the largest Asian-origin diaspora in the United States. New Jersey is home to roughly 440,000 Indians (4.7% of the state’s population), while 170,000 Indians reside in Virginia (2% of its population). Indian-Americans also turn out to vote at higher percentages than any other Asian-origin group, which makes them an influential and important target for the party.Mikie Sherill, the Democratic candidate for New Jersey governor, has been a familiar figure at the Indian community events this campaign season. In Virginia, India-born senator Ghazala Hashmi, who is running to be lieutenant governor of the state, has also focused outreach on Indian-Americans.The party’s message to Indian voters in this election cycle is sharply focused on affordability and the economy. Mikie Sherill has strongly opposed Trump’s 50% tariff on India, which has hurt the livelihood of many Indian-owned small businesses in New Jersey. In August, Sherill met several Indian-American business owners after Trump’s 50% tariff went into effect and outlined a plan to assist stricken small businesses. Sherill has also attacked her Republican opponent Jack Ciatarelli for backing Trump’s tariffs, including those that have hit Indian businesses.Democratic strategists told HT that the party wants to shift perceptions among Indian-Americans that the Republicans are more business-friendly while the Democrats focus largely on social issues.“The Indian-American community is very business oriented. When they hear us talk about tariffs and how we’re going to fight back against Trump’s tariffs, that really sort of makes it clear for folks that the old perception of who is better for business has to shift. And I think that has benefited us,” said one organiser who works closely with Sherill’s campaign in New Jersey.Democratic operatives also told HT that they intend to capitalise on Trump’s mishandling of ties with India. Trump’s 50% tariff on India, his administration’s public criticism of India for buying Russian oil and his policies on H-1B visas have dented the president’s brand among Indian-Americans.“For a lot of older voters, many of whom were born and raised in India, this is an issue that does resonate,” a Democratic strategist told HT.The party is also keen to avoid the mistakes of the 2024 election campaign, which saw many Indian-Americans move away from the Democrats and towards Trump. According to the Pew Research Institute, Joe Biden won Asian-American voters, which includes Indian-Americans, by a 40 point margin in the 2020 presidential election. In 2024, Kamala Harris only won that voting group by 17 points. Indian-Americans were part of the broader shift to Trump. According to a report by the Carnegie Endowment released just before the November general election, support for the Democratic party among Indian-Americans fell between the 2020 and 2024 elections although the community still votes strongly Democratic.Harini Krishnan, who worked closely with the Kamala Harris campaign, told HT that the short 107-day campaign did not allow the former Vice-President to message enough to Indian-Americans. Senator Vin Gopal, elected to the New Jersey Senate in 2017, points to rising inflation, a slowing economy and illegal immigration as key reasons why his community voted for Trump in larger numbers as compared to earlier elections.Aside from having candidates show up at key Indian-American events, the Democratic party has also invested resources into a multilingual digital campaign and phone banks targeting thousands of South Asian voters, including Indian-Americans.“On top of our outreach to the community, I think the issues we have focused on have really pushed people back to our side and reversed the trends that we’ve seen over the last few years,” one Democratic party strategist working in New Jersey told HT.But registering Indian-origin voters and getting out the vote remain key concerns for Democratic operatives.“At the end of the day, Indian American voting percentages are still low versus some other communities, and that is a problem. I talked to mayors of different towns, and they said we want to see more Indian-American representation on your boards and commissions and school district leadership. And they always say the same thing. They say, get the voting numbers up. That’s still a big issue,” said senator Gopal.With just a week left for election day, the Democrats have kept up their focus on Indian-American voters. At present, Democratic governor candidates Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Mikie Sherill in New Jersey remain ahead of their Republican rivals in the polls. But with both races tight, Indian-American voters could prove crucial for the Democrats.“I have definitely elevated the need for outreach to Asian communities who could be the margin of victory. That’s the cohort that actually moved towards the political right and if we can pull them back, that’s going to be the margin of victory in a tight race like this,” said Parul Khemkha, who chairs the South Asian caucus of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee.Harini Krishnan said neither the Republicans nor the Democrats can afford to take Indian-American voters for granted.“We can never be totally confident. I tell people that you should always think you are 10 points behind in an election. But if we keep doing voter outreach, our voters will turn out and will support Democratic nominees,” she argued.