Anti-Indian rhetoric cost Republicans Asian American votes, studies say

Anti-Indian rhetoric in the US midterm elections cost Republican candidates ground among Asian American voters, elections trends and analysis cited by ThePrint show. A study by the Carnegie Endowment, cited by the outlet, found that the share of Indian American voters supporting Republicans halved from roughly one-in-three in 2024. American University professor Sumitra Badrinathan, who conducted the study, said the community shifted back to Democrats. ThePrint reports that Republican Vivek Ramaswamy lost the Ohio governor race to Democrat Amy Acton, while the party’s Bo French lost in Texas.

Separately, in an opinion piece published by Indian Express, contributing editor C Raja Mohan argued that the election of America’s first Muslim senator, Abdul El-Sayed, and the re-election of Ilhan Omar show the country’s capacity to absorb outsiders. Mohan said that while anti-Indian rhetoric has angered Indians, seeing the US only through racism misses its history of inclusion. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi told Business Today that anti-Indian bigotry may have backfired on MAGA candidates and estimated Democratic support among Indian Americans may have rebounded to 80 to 90%, but acknowledged he lacked definitive evidence.

Update, 6 November 2026: ThePrint adds academic and Carnegie Endowment analysis showing Asian American voters shifted to Democrats as a direct electoral backlash to anti-Indian rhetoric. ThePrint reports that Republican Vivek Ramaswamy lost the Ohio governor race to Democrat Amy Acton. Business Today and Indian Express had previously reported opinion pieces and a congressman’s estimates.