Kamala Harris gains support from Indian Americans

Kamala Harris, 59, announced her run for the presidency after US president Joe Biden said he would not seek re-election and endorsed her as the party’s nominee.

• Vivek Mishra
• 22 July, 2024

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By: Vivek Mishra

Several prominent Indian Americans welcomed the possibility of vice president Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, describing it as a historic moment for their community.

Harris, 59, announced her run for the presidency after US president Joe Biden said he would not seek re-election and endorsed her as the party’s nominee. Harris received support from several top Democratic leaders soon after her announcement.

“As an immigrant who came from India to America over four decades ago, it thrills me to see that an Indian-American is the presumptive nominee of one of the two political parties for United States president,” MR Rangaswami, an influential diaspora leader in San Francisco, told PTI. He highlighted the growing contributions of the Indian diaspora to American society, including politics and public service, as a sign of the community’s maturation and integration.

Rangaswami noted that over 150 Indian-origin leaders serve at senior levels in the Biden administration. He also pointed out the presence of two serious Indian-American contenders for the presidential nomination on the Republican side.

Ronak D Desai, a partner at Paul Hastings LLP and an expert on US-India relations, said Harris’ potential nomination represents a significant opportunity for US-India relations. Desai mentioned that Harris has been a key architect of the current administration’s India policy and that continuity in strategic ties can be expected if she wins in November, though she will shape bilateral ties in her own way. Desai emphasised Harris’ unique role in fostering closer US-India ties and her recognition of the importance of the US-India strategic partnership.

“Vice president Harris’ ascension as the presumptive presidential Democratic nominee represents a significant opportunity for US-India relations,” Desai told PTI. “She has been a key architect of the current administration’s India policy. While Delhi can generally expect continuity in strategic ties should she prevail in November, there is no doubt she will shape bilateral ties in her own way.”

Observing that Harris’ unprecedented political rise is a testament to the power and promise of the Indian diaspora in the United States, Desai said a potential Harris presidential administration portends well for bilateral ties between the US and India.

“With ties continuing on their upswing, Harris has played her own unique role in fostering closer US-India ties. She has forged close relationships with key Indian decision-makers and has been a central figure in nurturing Washington’s relationship with Delhi. Throughout her national public service tenure, Harris has consistently recognised the importance of the US-India strategic partnership and its impact not just for both countries, but the rest of the international community,” he said.

“US-India relations can expect continuity, stability, and growth under a Kamala Harris White House. The vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has long recognised the power of the bilateral relationship and worked to strengthen it further. Any potential changes in policy will focus more on style than on substance,” Desai said.

Jai Bhandari, a Democratic party delegate from Virginia, expressed confidence in Harris’ ability to defeat Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Bhandari praised Biden’s decision to endorse Harris and stated that it would benefit the Democratic Party and Harris’ campaign.

“This is really a good decision Biden has taken within a time frame and it will make a lot of things happen in the favour of the Democratic Party as well as for the presidential post. Now it is much easier for Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris to win over Trump,” Bhandari told PTI.

“I am 100 per cent positive that she is going to win. She can defeat Trump because many people did not like the way Trump acted like a dictator. He is not ready to accept the result if the result comes against him. This is a danger for a democratic country. I believe that Kamala Harris is the right choice for this position. She has a lot of experience being vice president. She knows the foreign policy. She knows other things also, how the president and establishment and administration works,” he said.

Sanjeev Joshipura, executive director of Indiaspora, highlighted that the Indian diaspora makes up a little over 1.5 per cent of the US population but holds just under 4.5 per cent of senior public service positions in the US government. He noted the significant growth in the number of senior Indian diaspora public servants over the past decade and their contributions to public service both in the USA and globally.

“The recently released Indiaspora Impact Report, published in conjunction with the Boston Consulting Group, shows that just under 4.5 per cent of senior public service positions in the US government are held by people of Indian origin. The number of senior Indian diaspora public servants has grown by 150 per cent in just over 10 years,” Joshipura said.

“Three per cent of leadership roles in specific governmental agencies like the National Science Foundation, Centres for Disease Control and Environmental Protection Agency are held by the Indian diaspora. Moreover, the Indiaspora government leaders list evidence of a global propensity to public service among the Indian diaspora across several countries. This speaks to the desire of the Indian diaspora to contribute positively to society, in the USA and around the world.”