Why Desis still vote for the GOP

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Earlier this year, Vivek Ramaswamy took the stage at the Republican presidential primary, introducing himself as the “skinny guy with the funny last name.” 

Ramaswamy isn’t the only candidate with Indian heritage in the 2024 presidential race: South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is also running for the GOP ticket, and Vice President Kamala Harris is up for reelection on the Democratic side. The prominence of Indian Americans in the 2024 election is notable, considering that they make up less than 2% of the U.S. population. 

What’s even more notable is that GOP support among South Asian voters in New Jersey remains strong, despite the party’s restrictive immigration policies and white supremacist backers. About 29% of Indian Americans who are registered to vote identify with or lean toward the Republican Party, according to Pew Research Center, which did not parse out the data for voters from other South Asian countries.

South Asian support for the GOP may be especially up for grabs in 2024, given that some members of the community said they are reconsidering voting for Biden amid his support of Israel’s offense in Gaza. 

“Muslims are fed up,” says Waseekah Thahir, 45, of Lawrence Township, who said she would consider voting for a moderate Republican. “In a global perspective, where America stands on the global stage at this time complying with the atrocities that are happening in Gaza, it seems like I have to think twice about identifying myself as a Democrat because the Democratic party failed me. President Biden failed me.” 

Others in the South Asian community have been longtime supporters of the GOP. In 2020, about 22% of Indian Americans planned to vote for President Donald Trump, according to the Carnegie Endowment for Peace.  

Alia, 42, of South Brunswick, who did not want to publish her last name to avoid repercussions at work, says she votes Republican because of her religious and family values. 

“Religion and family values help alleviate social issues,” she says. “It doesn’t mean you don’t care about the less fortunate or social justice…. Unfortunately, recent events and affiliations with certain politicians have tainted the image of Republicans. If you take a step back and evaluate the core beliefs, you will see that they are built on the fundamentals of what it is to be an American: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” 

Though Ramaswamy identifies as Hindu, he has said he shares the “Judeo-Christian values” of the Republican Party. 

For other voters, the ties between former President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are a draw. The two leaders shared a fondness for each other when Trump was in office, with Modi visiting the United States in 2019 to much fanfare as the two spoke to a large rally in Houston together.

Arun, 52, of Ewing Township, who also asked that we not print his last name to avoid repercussions at work, supports both politicians. 

“Prime Minister Modi is a nationalist, he cares for his country,” he said. “Modi always presented himself as the underdog, and Donald Trump continues to present himself as the underdog by being a self proclaimed non-politician.” 

Among South Asians, the appeal of the Republican Party runs across generations.

Ayush Nallapally, 20, of Montgomery Township, is a senior at Rutgers University studying political science and public policy. He ran for the Montgomery Township Committee as a Republican last year and has interned with several members of Congress, including former Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California and Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-4). 

While running for office, Nallapally said many people would ask him why he was running as a Republican.

“It goes back to a lot of the ideals I have grown up with, like being fiscally prudent,” says Nallapally. “There’s a lot of family-centric values…. Having tight-knit families that look after one another and are willing to lend each other resources. We see this a lot in the South Asian community.” 

Nallapally says it should be no surprise that a community that is diverse in religion, nationality and schools of thought should also vote across the political spectrum. 

“That is something that has been taken for granted by the Democrat party, where it’s almost as if people have to vote for [them] by default just based on some sort of historical precedent,” he says. “I think that’s problematic.”

Mariyum Raina Rizwan is a reporting fellow for Central Desi.

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