32% of registered voters say they will vote for Trump, while 61% say they will vote for Kamala Harris.
Due to their rapid demographic growth, Indian-Americans—who now number over 5.2 million people of Indian origin living in the United States—are the second-largest immigrant group and a significant political actor.
According to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and YouGov’s recent survey, “2024 Indian-American Attitudes,” Indian-Americans’ loyalty to the Democratic Party is eroding.
32% of registered voters say they will vote for Trump, while 61% say they will vote for Kamala Harris.
The Republican Party’s intolerance of minorities, its stance on abortion, and its links to Christian evangelicalism are the main reasons why Indian Americans lean Democratic. Abortion and reproductive rights are a highly salient issue, ranking second in policy concerns after inflation and prices, and they have been linked to the economy and jobs.
Support for Republican candidates and former President Donald Trump has increased, but they still lag far behind Democrats. According to the report, “Indian-American men, especially young men born in the United States, appear to be driving this modest drift towards Trump.”
The fact that Kamala Harris is on the ballot, recognising her Indian ancestry, has drawn more attention to the political beliefs of Indian Americans. “It is important to highlight Harris’s identity in this election because academic research has shown that Indian-Americans are particularly likely to support candidates who are similar to them,” the survey says.
Due to their crucial role, both parties have courted Indian-Americans, who are referred to as “high propensity” voters.
In a campaign, Harris draws attention to the fact that her mother is an immigrant from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and as “a brilliant, 5-foot tall, brown woman with an accent.” However, the Republican campaign has also emphasised their Indian American community and elevated Usha Vance, the wife of JD Vance, Trump’s vice presidential candidate.
Still and all, the Democratic Party has seen a 9% decline in support among respondents, from 56% in 2020 to 47% currently. According to the survey, “since the last election, there has been a modest shift in the community’s preferences, with a greater share of respondents willing to vote for Trump.”