It’s simply after 6 a.m. at a mosque in suburban Georgia, and the subject of debate over breakfast is Kamala Harris. “Let’s see what happens, right. The South Asian community knows that they have a really pivotal role and that their turnout, their engagement could shift the election one way or another. Asian Americans are the fastest-growing voting bloc in Georgia, and South Asians make up the largest percentage of that group, totaling around 86,000 eligible voters. Joe Biden won the state by just over 11,000 votes in 2020. “The path to the White House runs right through this state.” Kamala Harris is presumed to be the primary Democratic presidential nominee of South Asian heritage. “There’s so much hope that I feel now.” Here in Fulton County, we discovered new enthusiasm, but in addition some ready to see the place Harris will stand on the problems. “I’m definitely re-engaged. I consider myself an independent. I’m not sure if I’m going to vote before Kamala Harris entered because I was so unenthusiastic about both candidates.” “But I don’t know if anyone really expected how exhilarating it would feel. As a South Asian, you know, I feel a connection to her. This time, I would like to be more engaged and actually doing something besides just voting.” Parul Kapur is now internet hosting meetups with buddies as she prepares to arrange a fund-raiser for the very first time. When did you guys hear and what was your response if you heard that?” “She’s been a U.S senator. Now, she’s been vice president for four years. That’s a pretty impressive résumé. But deep inside, I was like someone who looks like me is going to be the next president of the United States.” “That’s very true.” “A lot of people, I think, were, you know, like going to vote for somebody like Biden regardless because they were scared. And, you know, it felt very much like they were going to bite the bullet. Whereas now people feel energized and you want to vote.” And whereas shared identification resonates for the group, the dialog finally shifts again to coverage. “And somehow we forget that there is a middle class for a lot of us. Taxation, inflation, all those are important issues for us.” “The economy, essentially, which is what I think ultimately this election is going to come down to anyway.” Back on the mosque, the dialog turns to at least one particular difficulty: the conflict in Gaza. “The Asian American community doesn’t always fit into a nice box along the political spectrum. We all carry different identities. I’m a Muslim American. And how I see the election is kind of a combination of these different factors. Gaza is still the primary issue that I’m looking to see where Kamala Harris will differentiate herself from Biden.” Asian American voters right here decisively selected Biden in 2020, however within the 4 years since, their assist for him has declined. These voters could possibly be essential for Harris to win or lose the state. “She has the potential to change the equation of how things are done for the better. The entire society is changing. I have seen that because when I arrived is when the change started, right — ’69 until today. That has been what they call the ‘browning of America,’ Asians, Indians.” “It’s an open conversation. So I think the Asian American vote, they can be convinced to switch loyalty for candidates and parties. I’m pretty confident I’ll vote now, but I’m going to leave a little bit of wiggle room because so much can happen.”
