WASHINGTON (Diya TV) – 63 South Asian American state and local elected officials from across the United States have united to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President. The endorsement, organized by Indian American Impact, highlights Harris’ historic bid to become the first Indian American, South Asian and Asian American President of the United States.
In their collective statement, the leaders emphasized Harris’ extensive contributions alongside President Biden. They praised her for championing legislation on climate change, voting rights, gun violence prevention, student debt reduction, and prescription drug cost lowering. Harris’ advocacy for abortion rights was also highlighted.
As the daughter of an Indian immigrant mother and a Jamaican father, Harris’ personal story has resonance with the South Asian community. The endorsing officials believe she will foster a fairer and more inclusive immigration system, which will be a flashpoint in determining the November election. They believe Harris has the ability to build coalitions and unite the nation at a time of political polarization.
The officials noted that Harris’ win would send a powerful message to Asian Americans, communities of color, and women across the country. Her leadership is seen as affirmation that the American Dream is achievable for anyone.
The endorsement list includes prominent figures such as Michigan House Majority Whip Ranjeev Puri, Iowa State Representative Dr. Megan L. Srinivas, Maryland Lieutenant Governor Aruna Katragadda Miller, and Washington State Senator Manka Dhingra.
The full list of endorsers as released by Indian American Impact is below:
Aruna Katragadda Miller, Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
Senator Manka Dhingra, Deputy Majority Leader, Washington State Senate
North Carolina Senate Democratic Whip Jay J. Chaudhuri
New Jersey Senate Majority Conference Leader Vin Gopal
New York State Senator Jeremy Cooney
Virginia State Senator Ghazala Hashmi
Georgia State Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes
North Carolina State Senator Mujtaba A. Mohammed
Georgia State Senator Sheikh Rahman
Vermont State Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale
State Senator Saddam Azlan Salim
Pennsylvania State Senator Nikil Saval
Michigan State Senator Sam Singh
Virginia State Senator Suhas Subramanyam
Arizona Senator Priya Sundareshan
New York State Senator Kevin Thomas
Michigan House Majority Whip Ranjeev Puri
New Mexico House Majority Whip Reena Szczepanski
Texas State Representative Salman Bhojani
State Representative Nima Kulkarni
Dr Suleman Lalani , Texas State Representative HD 76
State Representative Latha Mangipudi
Anita Somani MD, State Representative Ohio District 11
Iowa State Representative Dr. Megan L. Srinivas
Virginia State Delegate Kannan Srinivasan
Pennsylvania State Representative Arvind Venkat
Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija
KP George, Fort Bend County Judge
Dr. Ajay Raman, Oakland County (MI) Commissioner – 14th District
Burlington County (NJ) Commissioner Balvir Singh
Middlesex County Commissioner, Deputy Director Shanti Narra Middlesex County, NJ
Aftab Pureval, Mayor of Cincinnati
Pavan V. Parikh, Hamilton County Clerk of Courts (Ohio)
PK Kaiser, Arapahoe County Assessor, Colorado
Vice Mayor Chantel Raghu (Oxford, Ohio)
Morrisville, NC Mayor Pro Tem Satish Garimella
Carlsbad Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Priya Bhat-Patel
NYS Senate 44 Candidate / Commissioner of Saratoga Springs Minita Sanghvi
Philadelphia Councilmember Nina Ahmad
Councilwoman Aditi Bussells
Charlotte City Councilmember Dimple Ajmera
Tredyffrin Supervisor K.S. Bhaskar
Pradip Dhakal, Herndon Town Councilman, Virginia and candidate for Mayor.
Shreekant Dhopte Committeeman from Chesterfield NJ
Cherry Hill New Jersey Councilmember Sangeeta Doshi
West Windsor Councilwoman Sonia Gawas
Councilwoman Archana Grover
Beaverton City Councilor Nadia Hasan
Pittsford Town Councilmember Naveen Havannavar
City of Berkeley Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani
New York City Council Member Shekar Krishnan D-25
Kristin Malhotra – Trustee, Deerfield Township, Warren County, Ohio
Austin City Council Member Zo Qadri
Steve Rao Council Member, Town of Morrisville
Ithaca Alderman Pierre Saint-Perez
Knoxville Council member Seema Singh
Fairfax County School Board Member Rachna Sizemore Heizer
SpringFord Area School District Director Sagar Sharma
School Board Director Anisha N. Shah
CA Commissioner on APIA Affairs, CADEM Delegate, PUSD BOE Trustee Dr. Darshana Patel
Stamford, CT Board of Education Member Versha Munshi-South
Stafford MSD Trustee Ash Hamirani
School Board Director Pooja Chanda
