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Will Hindus flock to Kamala for President in this election?

Will Hindus flock to Kamala for President in this election?

Last updated on: November 4, 2024 at 12:27 pm by Parveen Chopra

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Will Hindus flock to Kamala for President in this election? 2024-11-04T12:27:01-05:00 Parveen Chopra

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Many organizations supporting Kamala Harris for President and their conveners, such as Ajay Bhutoria, are galvanizing the Indian American community, which is more engaged after her rise to the top of the Democratic ticket. Her Indian origin is considered a plus, mostly. (Photo courtesy Ajay Bhutoria)

India was not mentioned in the Donald Trump-Kamala Harris debate on September 10. But soon after, Laura Loomer, the former President’s controversial ally, stirred the cauldron for Indian Americans by posting on social media that the White House would ‘smell like curry’ if Kamala got elected. She could as well have said ‘sambar’, the spicier staple of south India, to which Kamala traces her ancestry, as does Usha Vance, wife of the GOP vice-presidential nominee.

After speaking to prominent Indian American organizations and leaders about the voting preferences of the community, I can say that we are divided like the rest of the country. The Vice President and Democratic nominee for President, Kamala Harris has an edge over Trump as historically, three-fourths of Indian Americans have been voting blue. Half of the 5 million Indian Americans are eligible voters, and their presence in battleground states might impact the outcome of the presidential election in November. Indian Americans are the largest single-origin Asian group in the country. A researcher found they mobilize based on shared identity, which in an election can override the candidate’s party tag.

Faith-wise, Sikhs and Jains are sticking with Democrats, but Muslims and Christians from India are leaning toward Trump. What about Hindus?

Hindu vote and the Trump-Modi chemistry

There are over 3.3 million Hindus in America as of 2023, including those from the Caribbean and converts like Hare Krishnas. Hindus are a trusted Democrat voting block. But Trump has managed to chip away at their support since 2016. The last eight years have coincided with Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist, dominating Indian politics and having a sway over the diaspora here. Trump perhaps wanted to exploit that sway when he proposed to meet the visiting Indian prime minister last weekend. Modi’s detractors feared that during his massive community event on September 22 at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, he might signal support for Trump as he did in 2020 at the ‘Howdy, Modi!’ joint rally in Houston. But Modi scrupulously avoided naming Trump or Kamala in his hour-long speech and left for home without meeting either.

When I ran into Congressman Shri Thanedar at the Modi event, I asked him about the Hindu vote. The Democrat who won in 2023 from Michigan’s District 13 is known to be proud of his Hindu faith. He said, “Modiji’s chemistry with Trump will not make a difference. He has also enjoyed great chemistry with President Biden, and I believe so will be the case with Kamala Harris (if she wins).” He asserted that the community takes pride in Kamala Harris’ Indian American heritage – she is the daughter of an Indian immigrant.

But some right-leaning Hindus I come across are not enamored of Kamala Harris. “What has she done for India or the community?” is their common refrain. It is a fact that she did not visit India even once as Vice President. Contrary to Trump saying that she was Indian before ‘she turned black’, Kamala has downplayed her India connection. She is, of course, biracial, but for a politician, the 14% black vote in America matters more than the 1.5% Indian vote. That Kamala’s mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born a high-caste Brahmin does not cut much ice either with the Hindus. Married to a Jew, Kamala was raised Baptist.

two women and one man with banners supporting Trump

Donald Trump called Dr. Sudha Chokkalingam (left), a Hindu supporter in Georgia, to distance himself from Laura Loomer’s comment that the White House will smell like curry if Kamala Harris is elected President. (Photo courtesy American Hindu Coalition)

Tilting toward Trump

Indians in the US have large populations in states like New York, New Jersey, California, Illinois, and Texas. But their substantial presence in battleground states like Georgia and North Carolina can prove the winning margin and deliver the Electoral College to Trump or Kamala. It seems Trump recognizes that. Alok Srivastava, Executive Director of American Hindu Coalition (AHC), told me that after they protested Laura Loomer’s racist comments, Trump called Dr. Sudha Chokkalingam, the lead for the AHC volunteers in Georgia, to clarify that he did not support those comments and expressed his commitment to maintaining a respectful relationship with all communities.

Being not-for-profit and non-partisan, AHC does not endorse a candidate. Instead, they have set up a Republican caucus and a Democratic caucus. Srivastava feels that Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, is almost a Hindu as he has turned vegetarian and practices yoga. Kamala has to earn Indian votes by her policies, not her identity, he argues.

Dr Sampat Shivangi, co-founder of the Republican Hindu Coalition and Delegate from Mississippi to six RNC conventions, argues that his party’s presidents have been more favorable to India. George W. Bush lifted nuclear sanctions against India and celebrated the Indian festival of Diwali in the White House for the first time. On the other side, President Obama continued Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s visa ban until he was sworn in Prime Minister in 2014.

Campaigning for Kamala

Soon after President Joe Biden announced his exit from the 2024 race, and endorsed Kamala Harris, ‘Lotus for POTUS’ started trending on social media. ‘Kamala’ or ‘Kamal’ in Hindi means Lotus. POTUS, of course, is acronym for President of the United States.

A look at the news on Indian media sites now reveals more initiatives supporting Kamala than Trump.

Ajay Jain Bhutoria, one of the highest fundraisers from the Asian American community for the Harris-Walz campaign, believes Indians in huge numbers will vote for Kamala as they relate to her Indian origin. “Her economic policies that benefit the middle class have enthused the community,” Bhutoria, National Finance Committee member for Kamala for President, told me. The Californian was at the fundraiser with Kamala in Midtown Manhattan on September 22. To mobilize the community for her, he has released a music video with Bollywood singer Shibani Kashyap inspired by ‘Nacho Nacho’, a dance number that won an Oscar last year.

Indian American Impact Fund has launched the ‘Desi President’ campaign. Desi is a colloquial word for all South Asians. Chintan Patel, Executive Director of the Impact Fund that Kamala Harris helped launch in 2016, told Desert News that this election is “going to swing based on a couple of thousand votes, and our community has the power to make the margin of victory.” He points to Georgia, which Biden won in 2020 by a mere 11,000 votes. The state has close to 100,000 South Asian eligible voters. He highlights Kamala’s focus on issues that resonate with voters, such as economic policies that benefit the middle class and the protection of reproductive rights.

A new grassroots organization, Indian Americans 4 Kamala, was launched mid-September in New York. It is steered by Democratic figures, political strategists, and legal professionals, and is chaired by Rajiv Gowda, a candidate for NY State Senate.

Then there is the cutely named Chitthi Brigade. ‘Chitthi’ means aunt in Tamil, Kamala’s mother’s mother tongue. Kamala slipped in the term in her speech accepting the Democratic nomination for Vice President in 2020. It immediately spurred Shoba Viswanathan, an official with Indiaspora, to start the Chitthi Brigade as co-founder. She told me that they are galvanizing support for Kamala among women.

Celebrated Indian American author Salman Rushdie, who survived an assassination in 2022 at the hands of a radical Muslim, headlined the virtual launch of South Asian Men for Harris in July.

Gobind Munjal, National President of the Association of Indians in America, sent me this note, “It is a proud moment for South Asians that a person of Indian descent has been nominated for the highest office in America. Kamala Harris has inspired many Indian Americans to join political groups and participate in initiatives to get out the vote.”

He pointed out that about 45% of Indian Americans are registered as Democrats, while 22% are Republicans and the rest are Independents.

two men holding hands and waving to crowds at stadium

The strong chemistry between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then President Donald Trump was on show at the ‘Howdy, Modi!’ rally in Houston in 2019, but Modi has not signaled his support for him in this election. (Photo: White House)

Christian vote

Rev. Neal Christie, an ordained minister and executive director for FIACONA (Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America), is a progressive, but he admits that most Christians of Indian origin are likely to vote for Trump. Christians form about 15% of the Indian American community. The main concern of the nonpartisan FIACONA is educating on human rights and advocating for minorities’ situation under the current regime in India.

Christie points out that the gospel professes grace, love, dignity and justice for all. While both Democrats and Republicans claim these values are better reflected in their own parties, he believes that no political party can claim to identify with Christianity. Christian Nationalism is opposed to the gospel, said Christie, adding, “The far right in the US, including sadly many Christians of Indian descent, misappropriate Christianity for Christian Nationalist ends.

Muslim vote

You would think Trump’s Muslim bans during his first term would make him an anathema to the community. But that is not the case. Adam Rizvi, a progressive editor of ‘The India Observer’ newspaper, says President Biden’s dogged support for Israel has devastated Palestine. “What is happening in Gaza is unethical and immoral; children have no place in a war, but they, too, are suffering,” he points out. “It is not done!” Kamala said, bringing some Muslims back to the fold, Rizvi notes. But he also knows of Muslim parents’ concerns about LGBTQ policies’ influence on their youths, making them sympathetic to Trump-loving Evangelicals’ opposition to those policies.

My Muslim neighbor of Pakistani origin justifies his support for Trump thus, “He may be bad for my community, but his policies are good for the country.”

man with beard holding placard

Sikh community leader Dr Rajwant Singh at a Kamala Harris fundraiser

Sikh vote

Dr Rajwant Singh, Chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE), believes that most Sikhs will vote Kamala for President. Traditionally, they vote Democrat because they find the party welcoming of minorities and the middle class, and stand for climate justice, which is a cause close to Sikh hearts.

Dr Singh, who recently attended a fundraiser for Kamala Harris in Washington DC, told me, “Kamala Harris has spoken against hate crimes against all minorities, including Sikhs. The Biden-Harris administration condemned the killing of six Sikhs by a White Supremacist at the Oak Creek gurdwara in Wisconsin on the 10th anniversary of that tragedy in 2022.”

Jain vote

There are only about 100,000 Jains in America. Sulekh Jain, past president of JAINA, the umbrella body of Jain organizations in North America, and co-founder of the International School for Jain Studies, says that his peaceable community eschews strong political views, even in India, where they are mainly into business. Here in the US, Jains are predominantly professionals and vote Democrat.

As of this writing, six more weeks of campaigning remain, and the undecideds among Indians of different faiths may swing to Kamala or Trump depending on how they like their still-evolving policy platforms.

Curious about the name Kamala, very common in India, and what it means, find out here: https://alotusinthemud.com/kamala-a-name-woven-into-indias-spiritual-fabric-stands-as-a-symbol-of-wisdom-and-divinity/

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