Trump making dent in Indian-American vote bank

Majority still support Biden, reveals survey

66% in Democrats’ favour

The survey, conducted Indiaspora and Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Data, suggests 66 per cent Indian-Americans currently favour Biden and 28 per cent favour Trump while six per cent are undecided. In the 2016 presidential election, 77 per cent voted for former US secretary Hillary Clinton and 16 per cent for Trump.

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Washington, September 16

US President Donald Trump has made inroads into the Indian-American vote bank, the biggest ever by a Republican president, according to a survey which has sent worrying signals to the Democrats that the support of this influential ethnic community can no longer be taken for granted.

The survey by Indiaspora and Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Data on Tuesday showed that a majority of Indian-Americans still favour former vice president Biden, the Democratic Party’s nominee in the November 3 US presidential election. It found that 74-year-old Trump, seeking re-election, is making a big dent into the Indian-American vote bank despite the fact that Biden has a strong relationship with the community and played a key role in bilateral ties over the past few decades.

Biden, 77, also scripted history last month by selecting Senator Kamala Harris, 55, as his running mate.

According to the survey, 66 per cent Indian-Americans currently favour Biden and 28 per cent favour Trump while six per cent were undecided. Notably in the 2016 presidential election, 77 per cent voted for former US secretary Hillary Clinton, and 16 per cent for Trump. In 2012, as many as 84 per cent Indian-Americans voted for Barack Obama.

Dr Karthick Ramakrishnan, professor of public policy and political science at University of California, Riverside and founder of AAPI Data who is author of the survey, said that the Indian-Americans’ support to Trump, in case of a swing of the undecided Indian-Americans, would probably reach the 30 per cent mark. — PTI