Facing racist attacks, South Asians in Texas back Democrats, says survey

Washington, Oct 29 (PTI): At the receiving end of racist attacks, South Asian voters are backing Democratic candidates in Texas, including James Talarico for the US Senate – a key seat to wrest the upper house from Republicans.

More than 60 per cent of voters surveyed by the South Asian American Voter Empowerment of Texas Education Fund (SAAVETX EF) and the University of California San Diego said they would back Talarico for the US Senate over Republican Ken Paxton, and Gina Hinojosa for Governor over incumbent Greg Abbott.

Among registered voters, 66 per cent preferred Talarico, while 21 per cent preferred Paxton.

In the gubernatorial race, 63 per cent preferred Gina Hinojosa, while 27 per cent preferred Abbott.

As many as 58 per cent respondents reported at least one experience of hate, including online harassment, threats of violence, and damage to places of worship in Texas during the past year because of their race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, accent, or immigration background.

Sixty-four per cent respondents said they frequently or sometimes heard South Asians or immigrants described as “invaders” or “outsiders” in the past two years.

Separately, when asked about their 2024 presidential vote, 65 per cent reported voting for Kamala Harris and 25 per cent for Donald Trump.

South Asians account for 19 lakh of Texas’ 60 lakh population and Indian-Americans number 5.5 lakh, the second-largest presence after California.

The rising numbers of Indian-Americans in Texas have made them a target of racist attacks from MAGA supporters of President Trump, which also became a campaign issue for the upcoming midterm elections.

Last month, Bo French, the Republican candidate for the Texas Railroad Commissioner’s post, triggered a political row when he described, in a social media post, South Asian students celebrating a Texas football game as a “problem”.

The remarks were condemned by outgoing Texas Senator John Cornyn, who was defeated in the Senate primary elections by Paxton, a Trump-backed candidate.

“Our community is tired of being treated as outsiders and used as political pawns. When elected officials and candidates fuel hostility, people feel less safe and less confident in the institutions meant to protect them,” Chanda Parbhoo, founder and executive director of SAAVETX EF, said in a statement.

A 90-foot statue of Lord Hanuman in Texas was in the spotlight of a political debate last month when a conservative YouTuber called for “tearing this down”, drawing a sharp backlash from Hindu groups and thinkers alike.

The Statue of the Union, installed at the Asthalaxmi Temple in Sugarland, Texas, has been at the centre of a controversy since its consecration in August 2024, with a section of Christian conservatives describing it as a “demon God”, “unChristian”, a “false god” and a “character from the Planet of Apes”.

“The survey reveals a community confronting exclusion, but also highly civically engaged,” Tom K. Wong, founding director of the US Immigration Policy Center at UC San Diego.

According to the survey, 64 per cent of respondents said their community’s concerns were not well understood or not understood at all by elected officials, and 54 per cent believe their community holds little to no political power.

As many as 62 per cent of respondents believe political rhetoric contributes a great deal or somewhat to hostility toward South Asians.

The survey found that 78 per cent respondents would be much or somewhat more likely to vote for a candidate who speaks out against discrimination toward South Asians. PTI SKU GRS GRS

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