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US mid-term elections: Why Democrats, Republicans woo the Indian community

Why are Indians, despite being only 1.35 per cent of the American population, one of the most sought-after in the country?

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On October 24, the White House organised the biggest-ever Diwali celebration in the history of the United States. Hosted by President Joe Biden, the event was attended by Vice President Kamala Harris and several Indian community members, including those part of the administration. Biden’s daughter Ashley even turned up in traditional Indian attire. 

That was just days before the US went for mid-term elections, the results of which now seem to favour the Republicans. However, optics are important in politics, and both the Democrats and Republicans did their best to woo the 4.5 million-strong Indian community. But why are Indians, despite being only 1.35 per cent of the American population, one of the most sought-after in the country? 

Most Indians in the US are either into white-collar jobs or businesses, thereby experiencing greater economic success compared to people of other developing countries. This is the reason the industrial areas on the eastern and western coasts have a heavy concentration of Indians. And it is in these regions that the community can swing electoral outcomes. 

Take the New York metropolitan area for example. Heavily urbanised, it spans three states – New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – and is home to over seven lakh Indians. Other cities on the eastern edge such as Washington and Philadelphia house an estimated 1.92 lakh and 1.37 lakh Indians respectively, according to the Pew Research Center. 

On the western coast, San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles have the highest number of Indians at 2.34 lakh, 1.89 lakh and 1.71 lakh respectively. Since Indians have a strong community bonding, it is only obvious that with such numbers, they can easily influence the results in America’s biggest cities. 

Traditionally, Indians in the US have leaned mostly towards the Democrats, but Republicans of late have made steady inroads into the community. Being an enterprising group, Indians donate heavily to both Democrats and Republicans, and politicians cutting across party lines rely on these funds to a large extent. 

Indian-Americans in US politics 

A record five Indian-Americans have been elected to the US House of Representatives and several others in state legislatures in the mid-term elections, one of the most polarised in the country’s history. All five – Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera and Shri Thanedar – are Democrats. Thanedar is the first Indian-American to win from Michigan, while Krishnamoorthi was re-elected for the fourth consecutive term from Illinois. 

Khanna defeated his Republican opponent Ritesh Tandon, another Indian, in California. Chennai-born Jayapal, the only Indian-American woman lawmaker in the House of Representatives, won from Washington. Bera is the longest-serving Indian-American in Congress. He has been representing California’s 7th Congressional District since 2013. Bera, along with Krishnamoorthi, Khanna and Jayapal, were members of the previous House. 

Indian-American candidates picked up seats in state legislatures as well. In Maryland, Aruna Miller scripted history by becoming the first Indian-American politician to win the race of Lieutenant Governor. 

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