US election: Indian Americans are a growing political force

When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the US Congress in June 2023, he made a point of referring to Vice President Kamala Harris and her Indian heritage.

"There are millions here who have roots in India. Some of them proudly sit in this chamber and there is one right behind me, who has made history," he said, pointing at Harris, seated behind him on the dais.

"I am told that the Samosa Caucus is now the flavor of the House," Modi joked, referring to the handful of Indian American lawmakers who had adopted the savory Indian pastry as part of their caucus nickname. Harris'  mother was born in India, and her father in Jamaica.

Between Modi's most recent visit and his upcoming trip this weekend, Harris has continued to make history by becoming the first Indian American to run for the highest office in the country.

In November, US voters will decide between her and former President Donald Trump.

Indian Americans keen to vote

Karthick Ramakrishnan of AAPI Data, an organization studying the political attitudes of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, said Harris' heritage is a sign that Indian Americans are a growing political force. 

Following in the footsteps of Dalip Singh Saund, the very first Indian American elected to Congress in 1957, there are now five Indian Americans in Congress and nearly 40 in state legislatures. Voters themselves have the highest voting rates of any Asian American group, according to AAPI Data's numbers. 

Coming to America with knowledge of democracy

"It is very remarkable how quickly the Indian American community has grown in terms of its political engagement and civic leadership," Ramakrishnan told DW. 

"What I found in my research, and other studies have found as well, is that coming from a democratic country means that you're more likely to be civically engaged than if you come from an authoritarian or autocratic regime." 

In other words, Ramakrishnan said, having experience in terms of competitive elections or competitive party systems in an ancestral homeland goes a long way toward political engagement in the adoptive country.

And being a relatively wealthy and highly educated voter group helps that engagement as well, as politically-minded Indian Americans are able to access resources and fundraise from within the community. 

"What you're seeing now is a virtuous circle in which people are starting to run for office. They're getting political donations from their friends, their social networks, but even communities across the country who are excited and proud of their candidacy," he said. 

How do Indian Americans view India?

According to data from the Pew Research Center, Indian Americans have a largely positive view of India, with 76% seeing it favorably, including 51% who see it very favorably. However, around two-thirds of the participants said they would not move there.

And with the organizers reporting some 25,000 registered to attend Modi's speech on Long Island, New York on Sunday — far surpassing the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum capacity of 16,000 seats — it would appear Indian Americans are interested in Indian politics.

But this interest may not necessarily translate into any kind of voting impact in the US.

"Prime Minister Modi is extremely popular with Hindu Indian Americans in particular. But his influence is limited," said Irfan Nooruddin, professor of Indian politics at Georgetown University, pointing to similar mega-events such as the "Howdy Modi" community summit in Houston, Texas in 2019, where former President Donald Trump appeared with Modi in front of 50,000 Indian Americans. This week, Trump has announced he was due to meet Modi during the upcoming visit, but that has yet to be confirmed.

"So clearly Trump was trying to build on his relationship with Modi to win favor with Indian American voters. Yet polls tell us that the Indian American community votes overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates," said Nooruddin.

Incidentally — in Republican quarters, it's often repeated that Indian Americans vote Democrat out of preference for the name, not policy. 

"The reason they vote Democratic is because India is a democracy," said Hima Kolanagireddy, a Republican national committeewoman from Michigan, who was born in India.

"When they come here and they see Democratic Party, they equate democracy to Democratic Party. They think maybe this is the party that we should be voting for." 

Is Trump or Harris better for Modi?

Close ties with Trump notwithstanding, it's not easy to tell whom Modi himself would urge Indian Americans to support, were he able to do so publicly. 

"We have Vice President Harris, who has strong personal ties to India, but whose inclinations and core constituencies are likely to be more concerned about India's democratic and human rights credentials than Biden has been," said Nooruddin.

"Trump, whose anti-trade, anti-globalization, and anti-immigrant rhetoric is unlikely to be good news for India should he return to power," he added.

While impossible to know for sure, Nooruddin said he would bet on Modi leaning toward Harris.

"I would think that, all in all, he'd prefer a continuation of the Biden-Harris administration and the relative stability it promises even if it would require building a relationship to Harris, rather than return to the unpredictability of a Trump administration, even if that might allow him to have more of a pass on domestic politics," he said. 

In that regard, Modi might be on the same page as a majority of Indian Americans — in wanting to see the first Indian American woman take the US presidency.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic