For Indian Americans hoping for Harris win, evening ends in disappointment

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SUWANEE, Georgia – At a packed bar in this Atlanta suburb, Adarsh Ravikumar, a bhangra dance teacher, burst into applause every time a state was called in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris late Tuesday evening.

As states from Connecticut to Colorado were called for Harris, Ravikumar and dozens of other Indian Americans sat transfixed by the giant screens displaying the electoral map. Plates lined with pakoras, fried vegetable fritters, and aloo tikki, spiced potato patties, were passed around. The crowd ordered rounds of drinks, then promptly refilled them.

Ravikumar, 23, was among the majority of partygoers who voted for Harris, whose mother immigrated from India and father from Jamaica – and he entered the night confident. “A vote for Kamala is a vote for women,” he said. “A vote for Kamala is a vote for … not a felon.”

At watch parties across the Atlanta suburbs Tuesday evening, Indian Americans waited anxiously to find out whether one of their own might become the next president. For many, the moment felt historic – and was another sign of the growing political power of Asian Americans.

“It is exciting. It means there’s space for many different backgrounds. I’m from south India, her mom is from south India,” said Srijay Kasturi, 24.

But as results rolled in, and one battleground state after another was projected to go for former president Donald Trump, many in this South Asian bar grew grim. The room fell quieter, bright eyes dimmed, and some began to leave looking dejected.

The angst wasn’t universal. In one corner of the bar – far from the mass of Harris supporters – two friends huddled over cocktails and whooped when Trump clinched a battleground state. “He’s good for business. Less regulations,” said Suraj Chaudry, 49.

It was a scene likely playing out across Georgia, where an influx of Asian Americans – the population doubled since 2012 – has transformed much of the Atlanta area like Gwinnett, Forsyth and Fulton counties. Asian businesses – ranging from boba tea shops to South Asian bars – are scattered throughout the region. In parts of northeast Atlanta, signs in Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese line the roads. The state legislature has the largest Asian American and Pacific Islander caucus in the continental United States, and in 2020, Georgia’s Asian American communities helped swing the state for the Democrats for the first time since 1992.

There are about 610,000 Asian Americans in the state, with Indian Americans as the largest group at about 177,000 residents, according to AAPI Data.

In an immigrant community stratified by religion, language, caste and class, Harris’s background was embraced by some but rang hollow for others. Some have said they viewed Harris as Black, but not Indian American, and that her identity matters less than policies.

At the watch party, two friends took turns pointing at the electoral map looming over them on the bar’s giant TV screen, loudly talking over each other. Arun Darpally, a 51-year-old software engineer, had voted for Trump, and argued that he would be better for the economy. Ravi Kandimik, a 60-year-old IT consultant, had voted for Harris, listing women’s rights and the climate as his top priorities.

After a few rounds of drinks, Kandimik grew solemn, silently walking away from their shared table multiple times. “Not good. It’s not good,” Kandimik said, removing his glasses and staring off.

Darpally grew louder. “It’s pretty good,” he smiled.

Both the Harris and Trump campaigns had tried to sway these voters.

Harris’s campaign has held cultural events and crafted in-language materials in a variety of South Asian languages. Three days before the election, Harris published an op-ed with an online South Asian media website. The Republican Party in recent years has appealed to Asian American voters as well, leaning into concerns around crime, education, affirmative action and socialism, which weigh heavily among some Asian American communities. On Diwali, Trump honed in on Hindu voters and Modi-supporters in a social media post.

For Kasturi, who is from south India like Harris’s mother, the vice president’s Indian identity also translated to culturally relevant policies. Harris’s plan for Medicare to cover long-term-care services at home, aimed at helping Americans who care for aging parents, is crucial for South Asian families, many of whom live in multigenerational households, he said.

Kasturi’s grandparents live with his parents part-time as they travel between India and the United States. “Harris was putting a focus on how we care for our elderly,” he said. “It’s a form of respect to take care of our parents. For it to be financially viable is a good thing.”

He looked toward the end of the bar that held Trump supporters. “Some of the older generation of Indians do tend to be conservative,” he said of the rifts within the bar’s patrons, and the Indian American community.

As the results trickled in, Ravikumar, the bhangra teacher, scanned the room. He was used to politics-related conflict within the Indian American community. His father voted for Trump in 2020 and this year was secretive about how he cast his ballot. Meanwhile, his mom was excited about Harris, and their shared Indian background was important to her, Ravikumar said.

He had lived in the Atlanta suburbs most of his life, and since Georgia voted for Joe Biden in 2020 by a small margin, he hoped that Harris could prevail this year, he said.

He laughed nervously as the night wore on and the electoral map became increasingly red. “I’m trying not to think about it too much. There’s no reason to stress right now,” he said, while his eyes were trained on the screen. “It’s just easier to be around people right now, though.”

By about 11 p.m., partygoers had stopped refilling their wine glasses and beer mugs. Many of their smiles had turned to grimaces. Some headed toward the exit. Those who stayed sat in silence, alternating between looking at the televisions and looking at their phones.

Ravikumar stared at the television screen displaying CNN’s electoral map – Trump solidly in the lead – and chuckled, then shrugged. “There’s still some hope,” he said, pointing out that some Georgia precincts still had to be counted. After Trump secured North Carolina, Ravikumar headed home.

By 12:30 a.m., the bar had nearly emptied. Just one table of Trump supporters remained with their drinks still flowing.

A few hours later, the race was called for Trump.