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According to the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, the electoral fate of some 159 Asian Americans running in 26 states hangs in the balance on Nov. 4. Some of them, including a few high profile ones, are of South Asian origin, mostly Indian-American. Twenty two candidates of Asian origin are running for Congress, of them four are of Indian origin. And 20 are running for state legislative offices. While the numbers are impressive and show growing politicization analysts say, they don’t see impressive victories on the horizon for a majority of aspirants.
High profile
Some of the well-known names expected to win back their seats include California Attorney General Kamala Harris, a Democrat; and South Carolina Republican Governor Nikki Haley. Republican presidential hopefuls for 2016, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, hopped onto Haley’s campaign bus the week before Election Day, to give her a boost and gain some visibility in this southern state.
But one high profile race in California is going to deliver a foregone defeat to gubernatorial candidate Neil Kashkari who had the temerity to challenge incumbent governor Jerry Brown. The Republican, former Treasury Department official known as the “700 Billion Dollar Man” for helping prop up failing banks, is 21 points behind Brown days before Nov. 4. Nevertheless it is a strategic step by someone planning long term and building name recognition for a future race in the state. Kashkari is now known by Californians for his chutzpah.
Some other aspirants have stirred Democratic hopes but failed to deliver. One such is Iraq war veteran Manan Trivedi, a physician by training who is trying for the third time to get into Congress. In his last two attempts in 2010 and 2012, the party apparatus stepped up to help, but it could not put him over the edge. This year in the waning days of campaigning, powerful House Democratic Whip Congressman Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, hit the campaign trail with Trivedi hoping to boost his chances. “The past two elections have been tough for Democrats, the 2010 blowout and 2012. Obama did okay but others did not,” says Karthick Ramakrishnan, professor of political science at University of California, Riverside, and leader of the AAPIdata initiative.
The fate of everyone else is up in the air. “Before you run, you walk,” says Floyd Mori, president and CEO of the Asian Pacific American Institute of Congressional Studies, when asked about the why many Indian-American candidates were in losing races. “What we’re seeing now is a lot more Asian Americans (running). And I see a lot of South Asians getting involved in campaigns,” he told News India Times. And Ramakrishnan says people running now for office and losing still means they are building name recognition and could have better luck next time.
Indian politics stateside
In California, Congressman Ami Bera, the only Indian-American in Congress, was until recently, relatively comfortable though not beyond danger. Then things seemed to implode when recently the Indian-American community, specifically Sikhs, split over the issue of his stand on the 1984 massacre of Sikhs in India. According to an Associated Press report of Oct. 17, Bera’s 7th Congressional District, has approximately 6,000 registered Indian-American voters. In a district that is almost evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, this 6,000 is invaluable to win. Having won by a small margin in the last election, Bera is fighting for every vote to defeat Republican Doug Ose.
It doesn’t help that the Republican Party appeared to have joined hands with some Sikh activists as the Associated Press report indicated, with California Republican Party vice Chairwoman Harmeet Dhillon, knocking on the doors of Sikh households just two weeks before Nov. 4. Dhillon joined Sikh activists who had sent out questionnaires to solicit candidates’ opinion on the 1984 massacre, to campaign for Ose. Bera tried to avoid the controversy saying 1984 was a tragedy and he hoped the Indian government had learned from it.
“I thought it was curious that a community whose most pressing concerns are domestic issues such as hate crime should be raising this,” Ramakrishnan told News India Times. “Our survey shows that most Sikhs are not as concerned about foreign policy as about domestic politics such as better hate crime legislation, better monitoring of hate crime, apart from the more general issues of job creation and more opportunities,” Besides, Ramakrishnan says, Asians are concerned with a host of issues and not just identity politics. And while the ethnic community may be a source of some financial support, it is critical for Indian-American candidates to lure a broad base, as they learn during their campaigns.
Generational divide
In California’s 17th District, the heart of Silicon Valley, veteran Congressman Mike Honda, D-California, is being given a run for his money by Ro Khanna a former Obama administration official who came in second in the open primary thus pitting two Democrats against each other in what many see as a generational contest. It is also a sign of how Asian American politics is far from monolithic and points to more similar electoral bouts in the future. News reports say Khanna has the backing of heavyweights in Silicon Valley, yet Honda has the heft of experience and evidence of having brought home the bacon in his years in Congress.
“Part of the challenge we are starting to see is there might be limited room in the Democratic Party if you have incumbents who are happy to remain in their seats and continue,” Ramakrishnan said. State legislatures hold more promise because many have term limits.
State races
More interesting is the higher number of Indian-Americans running for seats in state legislatures. Twenty candidates from 15 states are fighting the good fight, pointing to a politically maturing ethnic group, say some analysts. Others urge political aspirants to start from the bottom, as school board contestants and work their way up.
The 20 state level candidates are almost evenly split in terms of party affiliation – nine Republicans, 10 Democrats and one Independent. This goes against the grain of studies that have shown Indian-Americans are overwhelmingly Democratic. Four state level candidates are women. “That’s where they are learning how to walk,” Mori said about grassroots politicians. “Maybe some of them are going to lose, but that’s how they will have a constituency.”
The reason more Republicans appear to be in races, says Ramakrishnan, is because Republicans are very excited about these elections and supporting more Asian candidates is a way to win back the support of this group. In addition, over the next two years, two rising stars in the Republican Party, Governors Jindal and Haley, will receive a lot of attention as potential vice presidential candidates. That may inspire more South Asians to run for office.
Breaking the mould is Alaska Republican Anand Dubey, a chemical engineer from Bangalore University. Dubey, a 15-year resident of Alaska, an entrepreneur interested in fishing, hunting and outdoor sports, is running from District 21 for the State House. In 2006, then Gov. Sarah Palin appointed Dubey the state director of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS).
Arizona Republican Michael Aaron Gidwani, 26, is a hometown boy, brought up in Phoenix, a graduate of Arizona State with a degree in Global Business and Public Administration. He’s all over the map – for charter schools, for legalizing marijuana for recreational use, prohibiting abortion except if it is to save the life of the mother, according to a questionnaire he filled for stonewalldemsaz.org. Connecticut State Rep. Dr. Prasad Srinivasan, is running for re-election. The graduate of Baroda Medical School is probably going to return to office.
The local Democratic organization of Palatine, Illinois has mobilized heavily to put Laddi Singh, a businesswoman, running from the 54th District for the State House.
Republican Rekha “Becky” Sharma is up against incumbent Democrat Keith English, running for the second time for Missouri State House from the 68th District. A self-made entrepreneur who came to this country at the age of 19, Sharma went to Community College at Florissant Valley and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with concentrations in business and mathematics, from Washington University in St. Louis. She told the Missouri Times that naturalized immigrants and minorities hold conservative values.
New Hampshire State Rep. Latha Mangipudi won a surprise victory when she came out of the Nov. 2013 special election to fill a vacated seat. Now she has to replay that gain. A speech pathologist with a doctorate in behavior neurosciences from Boston University, Mangipudi’s victory is the kind others dream of. She secured 59 percent of the vote to her opponent’s 41 percent. These are the kind of victories that encourage other Indian-Americans to dip their toes in electoral waters, Ramakrishnan says. “There have been some isolated successes but for consistency, we need to have long-term strategies,” he emphasizes.
Long term strategy
While it is heartening to see the rise in the number of Asians and South Asian Americans running for office, as in past years, the chances of any of them winning are small. Instead of jumping into races for higher office, analysts have long advised Indian-Americans should run for grassroots offices to build name recognition over a period of years. “It’s rare to see winners who don’t have that history,” Ramakrishnan says. He also calls for a long term strategy establishing institutions that engage in training and support for candidates. Something like the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Offices or NALEO. It’s a more sophisticated way of engaging the political system. “We need that in the South Asian community,” says Ramakrishnan.
Most Indian-American candidates don’t have Asian majority districts and have to appeal usually to white constituents, and have been relatively successful doing so. Take the case of former Iowa State Rep. Swati Dandekar who went on to win a State Senate seat. Or Maryland State Assembly Majority Leader Kumar Barve whose broad appeal holds after decades of being in office.
List of Candidates
Governor
South Carolina
Nikki Haley – Republican running for re-election in South Carolina
California
Neil Kashkari – Republican with little chance of winning against incumbent Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown. Polls showed Brown with a 21 point lead just days before Nov. 4.
Lt. Governor
Texas
Chandrakantha Courtney music teacher who offers tabla classes, representing the Green Party.
Attorney General
California
Kamala Harris – will be re-elected in all probability.
State Comptroller
Maryland
Anjali Reed Phukan, write-in candidate, an IT engineer, accountant and former federal employee.
U.S. Congress:
California
Rep. Ami Bera, Democrat, facing a tough re-election bid from the 7th District.
Ro Khanna, a Democrat pitted against incumbent Democrat Mike Honda
Pennsylvania
Manan Trivedi – Democrat – 3rd try from Pennsylvania’s District 6.
Maryland
Arvin Vohra, 35, Libertarian Party, running from Maryland’s Congressional District 4
State Legislatures
Alaska
Republican Anand Dubey, (House – District 21)
Arizona
Republican Michael Gidwani (House – District 30)
Colorado
Republican Janak Joshi (House – District 16)
Connecticut
Republican Prasad Srinivasan (House – District 31)
Georgia
Democrat Akhtar Sadiq (Senate – District 56)
Illinois
Republican Krishna Bansal (House – District 84)
Democrat Mo Khan (House – District 20)
Democrat Laddi Singh (House – District 54)
Kentucky
Democrat Siddiqui Malik (Senate – District 36)
Maryland
Independent Shukoor Ahmed (House – District 23A)
Republican Jody Venkatesan (Senate – District 13)
Michigan
Democrat Sam Singh (House – District 69)
Missouri
Republican Becky Sharma (House – District 68)
North Carolina
Democrat Nalin Mehta (House – District 67)
New Hampshire
Democrat Latha Mangipudi (House – Hillsborough 35(3) District)
Ohio
Republican Niraj Antani (House – District 42)
Pennsylvania
Republican Saud Siddiqui (House – District 164)
Washington
Democrat Pramila Jayapal (Senate – District 37)
Democrat Eric Kalia (House – District 8b)
Democrat Satpal Sidhu (House – District 42a)