SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — In the 2024 elections, Hispanic, Indian American and South Asian voters altered the political landscape in the U.S., according to recently released election data analyzed by Cornell Law’s Siddharth Khurana. Groups once considered strongholds for the Democratic Party shifted towards the Republican Party in this cycle largely because of the economic and social disturbances.
Long-time Democratic bastions Fremont and Cupertino in California’s Silicon Valley are telling examples of this shift. These majority Asian American cities, with enormous Indian American populations, moved 20 points and 11 points respectively in 2024 towards Republican candidates.
The proposed caste discrimination law in California, Senate Bill 403, which Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed after the legislature passed it, was a large point of contention nationally. Many Indian Americans, especially swing voters, opposed the bill. Indian Americans, which voted 78% for Hillary Clinton in 2016, may have held the Democratic Party accountable for their California affiliate’s decision to endorse the bill. One top Democratic insider told Diya TV that perhaps as few as 40% of the Indian American community voted for Kamala Harris in 2024.
Edison, New Jersey went from +64 point support for Joe Biden in 2020 to +30 points for Donald Trump in 2024 — a stunning 94 point swing.
Pakistani and Bangladeshi American communities, who are normally Democratic, have also turned right. In Sugarland, Texas, areas dominated by Pakistanis reported a high surge in support for Republicans. Bangladeshi-dominated precincts in Jackson Heights, New York, shifted 50 points from 2016, leaving Democrats in a deep hole.
These voters cited inflation, economic difficulties, and changing sentiments towards immigration as reasons for their shift in viewpoint. Many immigrant voters were middle class or working in the service industries and they voted against the Biden administration’s economic policies.
There was also a sharp turn to the right among Hispanic voters. The most dramatic change took place among Hispanic voters in Texas border counties. Starr County, for instance, had not voted Republican since 1896. In 2024, it voted for Donald Trump. In Starr County, the swing was an eye-popping 76 points from 2016.
While South Asian and Hispanic voters were trending Republican, high-income, college-educated white communities moved slightly more left. In towns like Delaware, New Jersey, predominantly white and affluent areas that supported Trump in 2020 flipped to Harris in 2024. This dichotomy highlights the complexity of voter behavior, even within specific demographic groups.
These demographic shifts challenge the notion of any group being a monolithic voting bloc. Both parties must recalibrate their strategies to address the concerns of diverse communities. For Democrats, rebuilding trust with South Asian and Hispanic voters will be crucial. For Republicans, maintaining these gains while appealing to younger, progressive voters remains a balancing act.
