It is uncertain if Harris will become her party’s nominee despite Biden’s endorsement, but she is widely considered the front runner to be selected for the role at the Democratic National Convention, which is set for August 19-22.
Asian-Americans have traditionally rallied around the Democratic Party, but various polls have shown that their levels of support have been thinning under Biden’s leadership.
The results of the 2024 Asian American Voters Survey released earlier this month showed 46 per cent of Asian-American voters would vote for Biden – down from 54 per cent in 2020 – while only 31 per cent picked Trump, NBC News reported on July 10.
Observers believe Harris’ nomination could reverse that trend.
“Definitely, the Indian-American community will rally around her [Harris]. It’s good that President Biden has stepped aside for her to step up with about a month to go before the next Democrats’ convention,” said Robert B. Lancia, a former Rhode Island State legislator who has worked closely with the Indian community.
Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in southern India and was a breast cancer researcher. She met her husband, economist Donald Harris, when they were both graduate students at the University of California, Berkley.
As a child, Harris went to both a Black Baptist church and a Hindu temple – embracing both her South Asian and Black identities.
Now, the community is likely to lend its support to Harris, analysts say.
Age factor
Should Harris secure the nomination, she will face a formidable challenge in taking on Trump at a relatively late stage of the presidential contest. But her track record of defying odds suggests she could be up to the task, analysts say.
“The Harris for president campaign will focus on the age factor. Trump has been trying to project his playing golf to highlight the age gap with Biden. Now, the Democrats have a candidate who can challenge the age narrative,” said Vivek Mishra, a fellow with the Observer Research Foundation’s Strategic Studies Programme.
Analysts say Trump, who is 78, may find his campaign stuttering among young voters because it has been dominated by jibes about Biden’s age.
“There are times when he himself [Trump] has been seen fumbling for words and starts mumbling,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, an independent political commentator. “All that is going to flood social media. I think it will be tough for Trump.”
While Trump may have gained voters’ sympathy following an assassination attempt on him at a public rally earlier this month, Mishra said the “light at the end of the tunnel for the Democrats is Harris’ popularity with the Black, youth and women voters”.
Lancia said Harris’ entry could narrow the gap Trump had consistently held over Biden in recent opinion polls.
“It may now become 50-50 with Harris in the race. She is younger and is a Californian, which is one of the largest electoral states,” Lancia said.
Key themes
Harris has outlined several of the Biden campaign’s main themes, including expanding healthcare, reducing drug costs and building infrastructure. She has become the administration’s leading voice on the importance of abortion rights at the federal and state levels.
But her own stance on other key issues is less well known and analysts say she will need to address that in the span of a few weeks.
Key issues she will have to focus on are immigration, inflation and the rising cost of living to draw voters to her camp, according to Lancia.
“She has star power. She can rope in [celebrities like] Michelle Obama and Hollywood elites who can come to her camp to help her,” he said.
Analysts predict the coming weeks to be politically bruising for Harris, with Republicans expected to come hard at her on issues including immigration and gun control. “Both are naughty issues and it is not for one person alone to solve it,” Mishra said.
Uday Chandra, an assistant professor of government at Georgetown University, said outlining a clear economic vision for providing job opportunities, especially for those without college degrees, could help Harris’ bid.
“She needs to project herself as both Asian and African to voters and offer a programme of economic reconstruction [jobs],” Chandra said, adding that right-wing populists would struggle against a programme that offers “a solid economic agenda wrapped in moderate nationalist rhetoric”.