Kamala Harris Leaves Young South Asians Divided
Though Harris is ranked as the most progressive senator in Congress today, Gen Z South Asians are less forgiving of her record as attorney general.
In the days after presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden selected Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) — the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to be named to a presidential ticket in the United States — news outlets reported that Indian Americans were celebrating Biden’s choice.
Yet, even though over 50% of Indian Americans surveyed in 2018 by AAPI Data, an organization that produces demographic data and policy research on Asian American and Pacific Islanders, held favorable opinions of Harris, Harris’s vice-presidential nomination has stirred more complicated feelings among Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) and millennial (those born between 1981 and 1996) South Asians. At the same time that many acknowledge Harris as one of many firsts, they’re more likely to be progressive and less forgiving of Harris’s record as California attorney general.
Young South Asians could have a significant impact on this year’s presidential election — 24 million members of Gen Z are eligible to vote this year, making up 10% of the electorate. South Asians also tend to be the most Democratic-leaning community among Asian Americans, according to AAPI Data founder and director Karthick Ramakrishnan.