Harris says more Indian American representation is needed in government

Source: NBC News

May 17, 2024, 3:48 PM EDT


Addressing a crowd of Indian Americans this week, Vice President Kamala Harris asserted the importance of South Asians running for office, saying there’s not nearly enough compared to the group’s size in the U.S. Indian Americans are now the most populous “Asian-alone” group in the country, surpassing Chinese Americans in September.

This means 4.4 million people identified themselves as “Indian-alone” — or 100% Indian — on the 2020 U.S. Census, marking a 55% increase over the course of a decade. Despite that, there are just five Indian American members of Congress out of 535. Harris called on that to change in remarks Wednesday at the nonprofit organization Indian American Impact’s annual summit “Desis Decide” in Washington, D.C.

“Over the years, we’ve had so much more participation by Indian Americans in the electoral process running for office,” Harris said. “But the numbers are still not reflective of the size of the growing population.”

She encouraged the group to participate in any way possible and to regard this upcoming election as vital to their lives. Sixty-eight percent of Indian Americans lean toward the Democratic Party, making them one of the most progressive Asian American groups.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/kamala-harris-more-indian-american-representation-needed-government-rcna152761