It’s just after 6 a.m. at a mosque in suburban Georgia, and the topic of breakfast conversation is Kamala Harris. “Let’s see what happens, shall we? The South Asian community knows that they have a really central role and that their participation, their involvement could swing the election one way or the other. Asian Americans are the fastest growing voting bloc in Georgia, and South Asians make up the largest percentage of that group, totaling about 86,000 eligible voters. Joe Biden won the state by just over 11,000 votes in 2020. “The road to the White House goes right through this state.” Kamala Harris is believed to be the first Democratic presidential candidate of South Asian descent. “There is so much hope that I feel now.” Here in Fulton County, we’ve found new excitement, but also some waiting to see where Harris will stand on the issues. “I’m definitely getting engaged again. I consider myself independent. I’m not sure if I’m going to vote before Kamala Harris comes in because I wasn’t that enthusiastic about both candidates.” “But I don’t know if anyone really expected how exciting it would be. As a South Asian, you know, I feel a connection with her. This time, I’d like to get more involved and do something other than just vote.” Parul Kapur is now hosting get-togethers with friends as she prepares to host a fundraiser for the first time. When did you hear it and what was your reaction when you heard it?” “He was a US senator. Now, he has been vice president for four years. That’s quite an impressive resume. But deep down, I was like somebody who looked like he was going to be the next president of the United States.” “That is very true.” “A lot of people, I think, wanted to, you know, vote for someone like Biden, regardless of whether they were scared. And, you know, it felt very much like they were going to bite the bullet. Whereas now people feel energized and want to vote.” And while the shared identity resonates with the team, the conversation eventually turns to politics. “And we kind of forget that there is a middle class for a lot of us. Taxation, inflation, these are all important issues for us.” “The economy, basically, is what I think this election is going to come down to anyway.” Back at the mosque, the conversation turns to a specific topic: the war in Gaza. “The Asian American community doesn’t always fit into a nice box on the political spectrum. We all have different identities. I am a Muslim American. And how I see the election is a combination of these different factors. Gaza is still the primary issue I’m looking to see where Kamala Harris will differentiate herself from Biden.” Asian American voters here overwhelmingly chose Biden in 2020, but in the four years since then, their support for him has declined. Those voters could be critical to Harris winning or losing the state. “It has the potential to change the equation of how things are done for the better. The whole society is changing. I’ve seen it because when I arrived that’s when the change started, right — ’69 to today. This is what they call ‘browning of America’, Asians, Indians.’ “It’s an open discussion. So I believe that the Asian American vote can be persuaded to change allegiances for candidates and parties. I’m pretty sure I’ll vote now, but I’ll leave some wiggle room because a lot can happen.”
Harris is fueling hope and skepticism with Georgia’s South Asian voters
