Indian-Americans are sounding off on Vice President Kamala Harris’ alleged attempts to downplay her Indian heritage in favor of her Jamaican side of the family.
Less than a week ago, as Harris entered the presidential race, the New York Times wrote that the vice president’s Indian heritage is “little advertised.” Harris, with an Indian mother and black Jamaican father, has long been touted as a historic figure breaking glass ceilings. But some Indian-Americans told the Caller they feel Harris’ Indian identity is highlighted only when it’s “convenient” for her.
“It appears now, as both a vice president and then subsequently, now as a presidential candidate, that she’s made the calculation and the party has made the calculation that her African-American background needs to be emphasized, and that she needs to really kind of lead with that identity in order to continue to secure the African-American vote across the country, which strongly identifies with the Democratic Party, and specifically tied to Joe Biden,” Suhail Khan, a conservative activist and former Bush administration official, told the Caller. “If you look at the 2020, election in the primary, Joe Biden outperformed Kamala Harris on every level, including with African-Americans.”
“While she might want to lean into her ethnic background when it is politically convenient to do so, the reality is that it does not matter. What matters are her policy positions, which would be a nightmare for most Americans and especially for the Indian-American community,” Akash Chougule, an Indian-American conservative commentator, told the Caller.