Who’s afraid of Trump? Not Indian Americans Nikki, Vivek and Hirsh

It was in July 2016 – at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio – when Donald Trump was formally nominated as the Republican Party’s presidential nominee and Mike Pence his running mate. A significant trend that emerged from the event was of high-profile support for the duo from the Indian American community, which had until then leaned towards the Democrats. RNC 2016 also saw the strong presence of Indian American stars in the Republican Party, including former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal and the then governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley. Jindal, who had announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election, withdrew later and suspended his campaign. Even for those Indian Americans who did not support Trump, the RNC in Cleveland was a landmark event and one of the biggest takeaways was that the Republican leadership promised a bigger outreach to the Indian American community.Trump’s challengersLooking ahead to the RNC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to be held in July 2024 to formally select the party’s presidential nominee – Indian American Republicans certainly seem to have come of age with three in the race for the nomination. medium102303528Haley, 51, is the daughter of Indian immigrants from Punjab and a heavyweight in Republican politics. She won the South Carolina House of Representatives elections first in 2004 and then went on to serve for three terms; she was elected governor of South Carolina in 2010, won re-election in 2014 and then became the first Indian American member of a presidential cabinet to be US ambassador to the United Nations in 2017 under the Trump administration. Vivek Ramaswamy, 37, millionaire entrepreneur and investor and son of Indian immigrant parents from Kerala was a dark horse when he threw his hat into the ring in February 2023. But his campaign rhetoric of “put merit back” and end dependence on China has obviously struck a chord with young Americans and he has surprisingly jumped to third position, behind Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis, in the opinion polls for the Republican nomination. And last week, with the entry of the third Indian American Republican candidate, Hirsh Vardhan Singh, 38, an engineer who has worked with the New Jersey Republican Party and says that he is a “lifelong Republican”, participation of the Indian American community members in the US presidential race seems at an all-time high. medium nocaption102253587Their chancesWhile it’s too early yet to predict if the Indian American candidates will be in the reckoning till July next year; Ramaswamy and Haley both appear to be safe on the polling and fundraising fronts to qualify for the primary debates which take place from August this year among candidates in the campaign for the Republican nomination. It's no surprise that Indian Americans are energised over the fact that three members of the community have become visible faces in the race for the highest office in the US. Many are following the campaigns closely regardless of their own political affiliations.Abhay Patel, a Louisiana-based businessman with a background in finance, who was a Republican candidate contesting for the US Senate in 2016 and one of the prominent leaders at RNC 2016, finds it exciting to see the Indian American candidates in the field. “It makes sense that individuals with roots in the world’s largest democracy are actively engaged in the world’s oldest and greatest democracy,” he tells TOI+. medium102303751Jiten Agarwal, CEO of QuantAi, a global data and artificial intelligence (AI) company headquartered in Texas, and a prominent business and community leader in Houston, is a long-time supporter of Haley. He feels that Haley, besides being the only woman Republican candidate for 2024, has proven government as well as foreign policy and international relations experience. “Her dedication to public service and leadership has made her a respected figure in American politics as well as in the Indian American community. She has been consistent in campaigning and fundraising since she announced her White House bid in February 2023,” says Agarwal who is supporting Haley in her fundraisers. Her campaign has raised $15.6mn, a modest but consistent sum that showcases her robust appeal to small donors, says Agarwal, adding that separately, a super political action committee (PAC) supporting her has raised $18.7mn since its inception this year, and that it had $17mn in cash on hand at the end of June. Agarwal feels, as of now, "given her track record of winning every election she has contested, Haley has a much better chance than the other two Indian Americans". “She is a seasoned politician and liked equally by the Indian American community and Republican establishment,” he says.Arun Agarwal, an Indian American businessman and community leader in Dallas, Texas, too feels that Haley has significant executive and international experience to justify her claim.“What makes us proud as Indian Americans is that Haley has never been hesitant to claim and be proud of her Indian roots. Ramaswamy, with no political experience, is also getting significant attention and hitting the chord amongst Republican voters,” he says.Not everyone, though, is happy with Haley for dumping Trump and deciding to become a challenger instead. AD Amar, a New Jersey-based management professor and Republican supporter, feels that Haley’s flipping after she had promised to help her former boss with his campaign is making her unpopular among Trump’s supporters. “She has recently made a few moves that made her lose some base with Republican voters. I am not sure if she will make up for the loss by Democrat women voters to win the election. She is gambling. I think her moves will cost her not just the primary but also a chance to be in the Trump administration, if there were to be one. Nevertheless, she will make it to the debate,” says Amar. medium102303996 The fact that Ramaswamy, a political outsider, has garnered enough support over the past few months to make it to No. 3 in nationwide US opinion polls is grabbing attention.He is the real Indian American star on the presidential stage, feels Amar. Patel, too, is a fan. “He is demonstrating that he can run a serious and strong campaign...I believe of the three, he is the one who has the best opportunity to break through and win the nomination,” Patel says.Amar feels that Ramaswamy will be a serious candidate for Trump’s running mate and definitely an important member of the Trump cabinet, if there will be one; and no matter what the outcome of this election, he will emerge an important figure to watch out for in American politics in the years ahead. Agarwal, however, feels that despite the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur’s appeal as a young, super conservative candidate, Ramaswamy has never spent a day in government and remains largely an unknown factor. “A number of national surveys have recently shown Ramaswamy surging. However, he is still an unknown commodity to millions of Americans. He is on the fence as far as the Indian American community is concerned. He raised more than $7.7mn in the second quarter of 2023, but the majority of it came from himself,” he says.The fact that Singh, who announced his 2024 bid recently, is a newcomer in politics and has had unsuccessful bids in Republican primaries for governor of New Jersey in 2017 and 2021, for a House seat in 2018 and for Senate in 2020, is leading to speculation that he may not even make it to the Republican primary debates in August. But his participation is getting him exposure and bringing attention to the Indian American presence in US public life and politics, feels Jitendra Diganvker, a businessman who ran for the US House representative election from Illinois 8th Congressional district on a Republican Party ticket in 2018. medium nocaption1023041051. Why Indianness alone won't win it for Nikki or Vivek 2. The 'Indian' who will take on Trump3. How Indians are climbing America’s political ranks medium nocaption102304116The messageDiganvker says that even though it is still a matter of debate whether Ramaswamy, Haley or Singh will contest against Trump for the Republican nomination in 2024 to unseat the leadership of US President Joe Biden, it is not impossible to imagine an Indian American getting an equal opportunity in the bid to occupy the highest position in the US.“Americans are ready for change with the expanding horizons and positive and flexible mindsets of the average American voter. Indian Americans are hard-working, well-educated, responsible and peace-loving people. We are contributing significantly to the country’s political, economic and social capital and we are one of the highest educated ethnic groups with the highest per capita income and have become a major source of funding for both Democrats and Republicans,” he says. medium102304542Arun Agarwal, who is co-chair of the Indian American CEO Council, an organisation with a mission of getting the community more involved in public life, feels that with a population of over four million and a community that significantly contributes to the US economy, it is important for Indian Americans to seek their position in the highest political offices as well. “Even the latest entry of Singh brings more attention towards the community. I hope this inspires more Indian Americans to run at local and state levels and assert their role and importance in policy making at all levels,” says Arun Agarwal.Overall, the feeling among the Indian American community – especially supporters of the Republican Party – is one of pride that three of their very own are contesting for the top position.Patel says, “I believe that we have had a number of individuals – in both parties – that have proven themselves capable of being a part of the United States’ elected leadership.”