Kamala Harris is the talk of the town over breakfast at a suburban Georgia mosque just after 6 a.m. “We’ll see what happens. The South Asian community knows they play a vital role and that their turnout and engagement could determine the outcome of the election. Asian Americans are the fastest growing voting demographic in Georgia, with South Asians making up the largest percentage of them, totaling about 86,000 eligible voters. Joe Biden won the state in 2020 by just 11,000 votes. “The road to the White House runs through this state.” Kamala Harris is seen as the first South Asian Democratic presidential candidate. “I feel so hopeful right now.” Here in Fulton County, there was renewed enthusiasm, but some were waiting to see what stance Harris would take on issues. “I’m definitely getting involved again. I consider myself an independent. Before Kamala Harris ran, I wasn’t really interested in either candidate, so I’m not sure if I’d vote,” she said. “But I don’t think any of us expected it to be so exhilarating. As a South Asian, I feel a connection with her. This time, I want to be more involved and actually do something, not just vote.” Parul Kapoor is now preparing to host meetups with friends and organize her first fundraising event. When did you guys hear about it, and what was your reaction when you heard about it? “She was a U.S. senator, now vice president for four years. That’s a pretty impressive resume. But deep down, I thought someone who looked like me was going to be the next president of the United States.” “That’s true.” “I think a lot of people were just going to vote for someone like Biden anyway because they were scared, and they felt like they were just going to be patient and vote. Whereas now, everyone is fired up and wants to vote.” While the common identity resonates with the group, the conversation eventually returns to policy. “Somehow we forget that many of us have a middle class. Taxation, inflation, those are all important issues for us,” she said. “It’s basically the economy. I think at the end of the day this election comes down to the economy.” Returning to the mosque, the conversation shifts to a specific issue: the Gaza war. “The Asian American community doesn’t always fit into neat boxes along the political spectrum. We all have different identities. I’m a Muslim American. And how I view the election is a combination of all these different factors. Gaza remains the main issue to see where Kamala Harris differentiates herself from Biden.” Asian American voters here decisively chose Biden in 2020, but support for him has declined in the four years since. These voters could be crucial to whether Harris wins or loses the state. “She has the potential to change the way things are done for the better. Society as a whole is changing. It started changing when I came in, so I’ve seen it first-hand — from 1969 to today — the so-called ‘browning of America, Asians and Indians.'” “It’s an open dialogue. So I think the Asian American vote can convince them to shift their loyalty to candidates and parties. I’m going to vote now, but I’m going to give myself some leeway because a lot can happen.”
