Both political parties have ramped up their outreach to Indian Americans, who wield growing influence and political clout. While Harris remains a key figure for the Democrats, the Republican party also features prominent Indian American leaders, including Nikki Haley, a former presidential contender and ex-ambassador to the United Nations, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and Usha Vance, wife of Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance.

With four days until the election, the race remains tight. According to FiveThirtyEight’s poll tracker, Harris’s national lead over Trump is shrinking, and in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada, the two are separated by less than 2 percentage points, within the margin of error for most polls.

Indian Americans as a Decisive Factor

The presidential race could hinge on a few thousand votes in these crucial swing states, where smaller communities, like Indian Americans, could be decisive. “Even though the Indian American community is relatively small in absolute numbers, they can help swing the decision,” explained Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Vaishnav added that in several states, the Indian American population exceeds the 2020 margin of victory.

Indian Americans are the largest Asian American group in Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, and Michigan. Each of Pennsylvania and Georgia is home to over 150,000 Indian Americans—a number significantly higher than the margin by which Biden won these states in 2020, collectively holding 35 Electoral College votes.