Haley’s Republican National Convention speech very well may position her as a front-runner for president in 2024 or 2028, writes Karthick Ramakrishnan. It is unlikely, however, to change the minds of many Indian American voters.
Haley’s speech took on added symbolism coming on the heels of the Democratic National Convention’s nomination of Kamala Harris, a Black woman with Indian and Jamaican immigrant parents, for vice president of the United States. In her acceptance speech last Wednesday, Harris paid tribute to her Indian immigrant mother and her maternal aunties (chiththis), capping a week of heightened press coverage as reporters mined the details of Harris’s memoir for perspectives from experts and confidants in both the US and India. The juxtaposition of Harris and Haley — two Indian-American women who have reached exalted heights of political power — in prime-time convention speaking roles is a testament to the growing political power of their community. There are about 1.8 million Indian Americans eligible to vote in 2020, and they could play a pivotal role in the presidential election this year, with 161,000 eligible voters in Texas,87,000 in Florida,61,000 in Pennsylvania,57,000 in Georgia, and 45,000 in Michigan, according to AAPI Data. In addition, Indian Americans tend to have the highest levels of education and income in the United States, and their campaign contributions have been on a significant upward trajectory over the last two decades.
