Indian American voters are jumping on to the Lotus Potus bandwagon

KAMALA HARRIS, TILL now a heartbeat away from the presidency, could well become the first American president of Indian origin. In the past, there had not been much excitement about her candidacy, but once President Joe Biden 'anointed' her his successor, it is as if she has been reincarnated. Democrats cannot get enough of Harris, her trademark joyful laugh, occasional goofiness and the stern prosecutorial air.

For Democrats who were shell-shocked by Biden's lacklustre debate performance against Donald Trump, Harris has come as an avenging angel. She is now the Rocky Balboa kind of fighter whose fiery words are pure music to them and they would love to see her take on Trump in a national debate. They, however, know that it is going to be a very close election, especially in the battleground states. The results may be decided by a few thousand votes, so Democratic operatives are keen not to repeat the complacency that cost them the 2016 election when Trump beat Hillary Clinton.

All sorts of groups within the Democratic camp have come together for Harris, including major Indian-American organisations. The Indian American Impact Fund, a progressive group, is supporting her campaign planning the largest ever investment in its history. Said Chintan Patel, executive director of the organisation, “As one of the nation’s foremost leaders on reproductive and women’s rights and one who has championed policies that have helped countless small business owners and entrepreneurs, Harris has shown that she is eminently qualified. She is our best chance to safeguard our democracy and fight Trump and his extreme agenda. South Asian voters can make history by electing the first South Asian, Black and woman president.”

So strong is the excitement about the Harris candidacy that scores of new groups supporting her are cropping up. Apart from South Asians for Harris and South Asian Women for Harris, the latest is South Asian Men for Harris, which was launched with a star cast of noted names. It was initiated by tech wiz and president of SAJA (South Asian Journalists Association) Sree Sreenivasan, historian Manu Bhagavan and social media consultant Neil Parekh and was headlined by no less than Salman Rushdie. The July 27 launch featured many political players, including Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Ro Khanna of California, and they spoke about the urgency of supporting Harris and the ways to do it; thousands watched on social media and donated funds.

“I absolutely agree it is a critical moment,” said Rushdie. “I am a boy from Bombay. My wife is African-American, so we like the fact that there is a Black and Indian woman running for the White House. But frankly, ethnicity itself is not enough. We would not be gathering in this way, let us say, for Usha Vance or Nikki Haley. We are here because something very extraordinary and transformative has happened in American politics,” said Rushdie. “The conversation has entirely changed with the arrival of Kamala Harris's candidacy... and we have to make that work, because we cannot allow the alternative to happen. This Hollow Man without a single noble quality trying to drag this country towards authoritarianism, that cannot happen.”

Rushdie was asked about the sceptics within the Indian American community who may not believe in the Harris candidacy for a variety of reasons, including the fact that America would not elect a half-Black, half-Indian woman. “I think times have changed... the way in which the race issue can be made a positive is a new thing. And so, I think there is absolutely no reason why Harris should not win... I think the tide is turning.”

Roohi Rustum, national organising director for Harris for President, also stepped in: “Harris in the first 24 hours of our campaign raised the most ever for any presidential candidate, over $81 million (around Rs680 crore). More than 60 per cent of this was from first time contributors. Hundreds of thousands of grassroots supporters are joining Zoom calls... so many people are joining to talk about Harris and how she is ready.”

Neha Dewan, who started out as a volunteer with Harris before she embarked on her presidential campaign, spoke about her association with Harris, “I was a lead volunteer organiser for her in California. I travelled with her to Nevada and Iowa. Now four and a half years later, to think that we are on the cusp of electing her, it is just so incredibly exciting.” Dewan is co-head of South Asians for Harris.

Apart from Indian Americans, people of Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Nepali origin, and members of the Indo-Caribbean communities are also active in supporting Harris. They have joined hands with the Hispanic and other communities of colour in a common fight to safeguard their rights and freedom.

As writers, tech experts, organisers and academics came together for Harris, thousands more watched on social media channels and pledged their time and money for the campaign. “The Kamala that I know is tough. She is brilliant. She is ready. She is experienced,” said Dewan. “We are talking about a woman who has shattered so many glass ceilings. It is absolutely possible.”

Lavina Melwani is a New York-based writer for several international publications. She blogs at Lassi with Lavina.