Indian-American Vote May Be Critical in Flipping the US Senate

Map of Georgia (US), and Indian and American flags used for representational purposes.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter / The Quint)

President-elect Joe Biden is all set to take office on 20 January, but the US Senate still hangs in the balance. The control of the US Senate is crucial in determining the fate of the incoming administration’s legislative agenda.

On 5 January, the state of Georgia will vote to choose between Democratic challengers Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, who are pitted against Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, respectively.

The Indian-American vote, as in the presidential election, could once again be the key margin of victory in the critical Georgia Senate run-off election. There are approximately 1,50,000 eligible South Asian American voters in Georgia.

Actor Manish Dayal(Photo: Twitter)

“We will be the shift. South Asian Americans will play a key role in this election", said actor Manish Dayal at the virtual “Get Out the Vote” rally jointly organised by South Asians for Biden and the AAPI Victory Fund.

“The Georgia election determines whether the Affordable Care Act will be overturned amid the worst crisis of a hundred years. Millions of people will become uninsured during the COVID pandemic,” said Indian American Varun Nikore, president of the AAPI Victory Fund.

“My mother grew up picking someone else’s cotton and tobacco. Only in America is my story possible,” said Democratic challenger Reverend Raphael Warnock at the rally. “But I worry that this possibility is slipping away from too many Americans. The deep chasm between the haves and the have nots continues to grow,” he added.

The Democrat further stated, “America is a great country because of its diversity, not despite it.”