Indian Americans, a rising political force, give $3 million to 2020 presidential campaigns
Indian Americans are a sliver of the nation's population but a growing political force. They have contributed more than $3 million to 2020 presidential campaigns - more than the coveted donors of Hollywood.
On the Democratic side, they are largely split among three candidates who have ties to their community: Sen. Kamala Harris of California, whose mother was born in India; Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a practicing Hindu; and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who counts a large Indian American population among his constituents.
The trio has targeted these wealthy donors from coast to coast. At a recent fundraiser, Harris touted her ties to her mother's homeland as she sought donations from its descendants.
"My grandfather, having been a freedom fighter in India and a very progressive person, put my mother on a plane, a transcontinental flight, which was unheard of in those days, 1959, to go and study at Berkeley,"
