Political Mobilization of Indian Americans

Asian Americans, currently 5.6 percent of the population, are the fastest growing group in the U.S. Today, their success in entrepreneurship, business, academics, and technology has been much discussed and analyzed. But what about politics, a sphere in which Asian Americans are mostly ignored as a voting constituency? Are the 3.4 million Indian Americans, who have the highest median income among Asian Americans, ready to mobilize politically? How will this impact the 2016 election cycle?

On June 9th, Hudson Institute's India Initiative hosted a panel discussion with four distinguished Indian American leaders who are political candidates, fundraisers, and community mobilizers. Congressman Ami Bera of California; Delegate Aruna Miller of Montgomery County, Maryland; and Delegate Dr. Jay Jalisi of Baltimore County, Maryland are all elected officials. Shekar Narsimhan is chairman and founder of the first ever Asian American super PAC, the AAPI Victory Fund, which aims to increase Asian American voter-registration and turnout in battleground states. The discussion was moderated by Hudson Institute Adjunct Fellow Dr. Maina Chawla Singh.