- After the vice president’s sudden prospect to move to the top of the ticket, lawmakers, leaders and activists have been encouraged by the response she’s been receiving from delegates and donors.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ sudden prospect of a historic elevation to the top of the Democratic ticket has galvanized the Indian American community. Since President Joe Biden announced that he would not seek re-election, and endorsed Harris, Indian American Democratic lawmakers, leaders, and activists have been supporting her. They have been also highlighting the differences between Harris, a former prosecutor, and GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, a convicted felon.
Several Democrats told American Kahani that they prefer the automatic elevation of Harris to the top of the presidential ticket. Varun Nikore, executive director of AAPI Victory Alliance, pointed out initial polling showing Harris running ahead of Biden and within the margin of error in several early polls. Anjali Mehrotra, founder, of Equality Period, NJ, said she’s encouraged by the response Harris has been getting in the past 30 hours. “The almost $50 million raised (within hours) through grassroots donations on ActBlue and the over 44,000 Black women who joined a call last night to support her candidacy, speak volumes.”
Like Mehrotra, Nikore is encouraged by Harris’ fundraising abilities. “The fact that the campaign raised over $56 million in several hours after the announcement, shows her ability to not only raise the funds necessarily to compete, but a growing momentum to expand the electorate — including youth voters, Indian American and Black electorate,” Nikore said. This is “early indication are that she is making headway with many of the subgroups that were not enthused about the original ticket.” But he pointed to a big caveat. “Early data points are not accurate nor solidified as it’s been less than 24 hours, however, anecdotally, I would much rather be in Kamala Harris’s position than Donald Trump’s at this stage. “
Harris is “building the necessary buy-in to create excitement about her candidacy,” Vermont State Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, told American Kahani. “People want to participate in this process of choosing a historic candidate, and she is giving them that opportunity,” she said. “Our Vermont delegates have just pledged their support to her, and many delegates around the country are doing the same.” She too pointed out the difference between Harris and Trump. “We will have one of America’s top prosecutors running against a convicted felon,” Ram Hinsdale said. “She is ready for this fight, and so are Democrats of all generations and backgrounds,” she added. “Many polls already have her beating him, and now she will have a unified party behind her.”
California-based financial analyst Shamita Tripathy is also encouraged by the amount of support she’s seeing for Harris. “The energy has shifted and the Democrats are coming together,” she said. “Money from small donors is pouring in, women are celebrating and especially Black women are rejoicing.” She believes that Harris is perfect to replace Biden as she was his pick for vice president. “He kind of groomed her in the event that she has to step up and take over his role,” she said. She also believes that if Harris is not automatically elevated, it will put off a lot of black voters, especially black women voters.
Many believe that with the backing of high-profile Democrats and donors, and with her prosecutorial and legislative experience, Harris can defeat Trump. “I think Kamala Harris will defeat Trump,” Mehrotra said. “The GOP believes that it is a man’s world and the women of this country will rise to prove them wrong.” She feels Harris is in the best position to run the “abortion, abortion, abortion” campaign while also reminding voters that Trump is a convicted sexual predator,” she added.
Piyali Ganguly believes that Harris can easily defeat Trump. “Harris is the ethical Warrior Princess, who stands, for democratic values, and who fights for her broad-based, grassroots supporters,” the CEO of Piya Ka Gear told American Kahani. On the other hand, “the lying Trump stands for the infestation of poor values in our beloved America; he flaunts many principles of our democracy and makes a mockery of our justice systems,” she said. “Harris will be able to stand up to this bully and reveal to Americans that he doesn’t have their best interests at heart,” she continued. “Besides, Harris is much younger than Trump! She will beat Trump hands down because people want justice and peace.”
Harris has a strong chance of winning if she becomes the nominee, said former New Jersey Assemblywoman Sadaf Jaffer. “We need dynamic, younger leaders in U.S. politics.” Harris has “the potential to bring the energy needed to this campaign, but she must be responsive to voters including by working to end the massacres in Gaza and commit to peace and equality for Palestinians and Israelis,” the researcher and lecturer at Princeton University noted. “It is clear Trump’s policies do not resonate or reflect the values of the majority of Americans.” She believes that “any discussion at the convention on our Democratic candidate or platform must include a shift in approach which includes stopping weapons transfers to Israel and truly working toward ceasefire and peace for Palestinians and Israelis,” which is what the vast majority of Democratic voters want.
While many Indian Americans support the automatic elevation of Harris to the top of the ticket, AAPI Victory Fund chair Shekar Narasimhan prefers the traditional process of nomination. As there’s little time, he feels the party should allow the process of getting 300 delegates revetted to place name in nomination through a virtual vote on Aug. 6.” He is confident that Harris will hold and expand on the Biden coalition and win on the debate stage. “The majority of Americans agree with the Democrats on the issue of immigration, affordable housing and childcare, reproductive choice, sensible gun control and educational opportunity.”
New Jersey State Sen. Vin Gopal supports “an open convention,” and feels “everyone should compete in a fair and Democratic process among Democrats”. At the same time, he believes that Harris is “the strongest candidate to represent the party in November.” He looks forward “to strongly supporting” Harris’ candidacy in defeating Donald Trump this November, and is hopeful she will win and unite this country. He also drew a comparison between the two candidates. “While the vice president has always valued bipartisanship and has supported members of both parties, Trump represents the opposite of that,” he said, adding that Trump “does not support the peaceful transfer of power or the values core to a representative democracy.”
Bay Area physician and podcaster Dr. Abhay Dandekar also prefers the traditional process of selecting a nominee. “I firmly believe that no nominee to any major party should be coronated in a democratic society,” he told American Kahani. “As a mode of respect for our values and our voices, there needs to be a process where stakeholders can learn, examine, question, and support based upon this information and make informed decisions,” he said. “It also affords respect to the candidate to be able to learn and get to know their party and the people they represent in a comprehensive manner.” He believes “this process is critical and should be carried out for Harris, even if she ends up being the only candidate.”
Dandekar also believes that Harris will be able to defeat Donald Trump. “It will not be easy and given the razor-thin margins in our highly polarized America, it will be a very tough and likely bruising battle.” The vice president’s “ability to listen, empathize, and build trust on issues will ultimately prevail,” he noted. “She will remain tough on principles and values, but open to dialogue on how to build collaboration.” He said he feels “confident and comfortable with her leadership and the prospect of building more unity for our nation.”
Santha Varghese of Michigan is of the option that a primary is not necessary. Harris was on the Biden primary ticket,” the public school speech-language pathologist told American Kahani. “In part, a vice president is always selected with an ever-ready-on-standby understanding,” she added. Now with the “full support” of Biden, “Harris has just graciously stepped into that dimension,” she added. But she warns that the race will be tight and messy, as racism, sexism and otherism are alive and well in this electorate.”
Several high-profile lawmakers including Indian Americans like Reps. Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, and Shri Thanedar have endorsed Harris, and she’s also been receiving support from several candidates running for local, state, and federal posts this November. They are urging the community to recommit themselves to winning this November.
