Explained: Usha Vance and the growing importance of South Asian-Americans in US politics

Donald Trump’s selection of JD Vance as his vice-president pick for the November 5 elections has made many South Asians happy. Not because the 39-year-old Ohio senator exhibits affinity towards the community, but because Vance’s wife, 38-year-old Usha, is the daughter of Indian immigrants.

And it’s not just Usha Vance . This election cycle has seen three politicians of South Asian descent vying for the White House: Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy both competed during the Republican primaries, while Vice President Kamala Harris is running for a second term with President Joe Biden. Yes, they all are of Indian origin.

In fact, soon after the announcement was made that JD Vance would be Trump’s running mate, it was reported all over about how Usha’s Hindu faith helped Vance navigate his own spiritual and professional journey.

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As Shalabh “Shalli” Kumar, the founder of the Republican Hindu Coalition and the chair of the Hindu and Indian Coalition of the Republican National Committee, told CNN: “Hindus have come a long way. And it’s about time.”

As Usha Vance now joins the election cycle, let’s take a better look at how the representation of South Asians in US politics has improved over the years and why they matter.

‘Desis’ in the election cycle

The 2024 US presidential election has seen significant representation from the South Asian community.

During the primaries, Trump saw competition from a trio of South Asians . First being Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and Trump’s first ambassador to the United Nations. The 51-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants finally bowed out of the race and on Tuesday night at Day 2 of the Republican National Convention formally endorsed Trump.

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Tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy had also entered the US Republican presidential nomination contest as an outsider in February and received quite a lot of support. However, in January, he ended his campaign after a disappointing finish in the Iowa caucuses.

There was also Hirsh Vardhan Singh, an engineer, who had joined the crowded US presidential race to “take back our country and prioritise citizens”.

Across the political aisle, there’s also Kamala Harris , who is fighting this election on the Biden ticket.

South Asians climb the political ranks

Apart from the representation of South Asians in the 2024 US presidential campaign, the community’s representation in US politics has also grown leaps and bounds. In 2013, the US House of Representatives had a single Indian-American member. Fewer than 10 Indian-Americans were serving in state legislatures. None had been elected to the Senate. None had run for president.

However, in 2023, that number has risen significantly. As Forbes reports, Asian Americans make up one per cent of the US Congress. Ami Bera, the Democrat from California — who has the honour of being the first Indian-American serving in the US House of Representatives — said: “Things have changed quite a bit.”

Speaking on the same, Neil Makhija, the executive director of Impact, an Indian American advocacy group, told New York Times: “In parts of the government, we’ve gone literally from having no one to getting close to parity.”

But what has led to this surge? Most attribute it to an array of factors, including their relative wealth and high education levels. As Raj Goyle, a former state lawmaker in Kansas who co-founded Impact, was quoted as saying: “It’s really all working in tandem. There’s a natural trend, society is more accepting, and there is deliberate political strategy to make it happen.”

Chintan Patel, the executive director of Indian American Impact, praising the representation of Asian Americans told CNN that it “helps reimagine what’s possible for our community.”

Fastest-growing voter bloc

Asian-Americans are also a very important voter bloc in the country. As per an analysis by Pew Research Centre, they are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group of eligible voters in the United States. The research reveals that their number has grown by 15 per cent, or about two million eligible voters, in the past four years — that’s faster than the three per cent growth rate for all eligible voters during that span and the 12 per cent for Hispanic eligible voters.

The relevance of the South Asian-American bloc was clearly evident in the 2020 US presidential elections. Following the vote, it was revealed that a whopping 72 per cent of Asian voters had voted for Democrat Joe Biden.

However, it seems that this election, several Asian-Americans have switched their support to Donald Trump. The Asian American Voter Survey (AAVS), released last Wednesday, revealed that 46 per cent of Indian-Americans would like to vote for Biden in the November 2024 presidential elections, compared to 65 per cent in 2020.

However, former President and Republican leader Donald Trump gained just two per cent – from 28 percent in 2020 to 30 per cent in 2024 – despite the record 19-per cent drop in Biden’s support from Indian Americans.

And what are the issues that South Asian-American voters are most concerned about? According to the Asian American voter survey, the economy, education, inflation and immigration were “highly important” for Asian Americans this election cycle. Immigration is on the top of mind for many South Asian Republican voters because of the backlog facing millions of Hindu and Indian Americans who are waiting for green cards.

It is left to be seen how the South Asian bloc votes this election, but as PM Modi said in his address to the US Congress last year, “I am told that Samosa Caucus is now the flavour of the House. I hope it grows and brings the full diversity of Indian cuisine here.”

With inputs from agencies