Indian Americans rise in US politics, navigate identity

WASHINGTON: Of the many attacks between this year´s US presidential candidates, some of the harshest have pitted Vivek Ramaswamy against Nikki Haley.

Ramaswamy went so far as to hold up a sign at a debate calling the South Carolina former governor and UN ambassador corrupt over her corporate work -- and she has hit back hard, calling him untrustworthy and berating him for mentioning her children.

Personal attacks are routine in US politics, and both Haley and Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old entrepreneur who has never held elected office, are facing uphill climbs to wrest the Republican nomination from former president Donald Trump.

But the two have something in common -- they are children of Indian immigrants. Also expected on this year´s ballot is Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, whose mother came from India and whose father was born in Jamaica.

Indian Americans are split on whether the Ramaswamy versus Haley feud channels larger community tensions, but what is uncontestable is that Indian Americans are more politically prominent than ever before -- and increasingly wearing their identity proudly. It is another sign of success for the community, whose average household income is the highest of any US ethnic group.

Raj Goyle, a former state lawmaker in Kansas and co-founder of Indian American Impact, a South Asian American political group, said that ethnic groups in the United States historically have waited for a greater comfort level and critical mass before entering politics.