South Asians could have outsize influence in three battleground states during the 2024 election

With South Asian populations booming in the battleground states of Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania, campaigns have identified a new demographic to capture.

In Forsyth County, Georgia, Kannan Udayarajan, 42, sends his kids to local public schools that are now majority Indian American. The area, nearly all white 20 years ago, has since begun to teem with South Asian life.

Indian supermarkets, Hindu temples and cricket fields border country clubs and car dealerships. Some schools serve hot Indian lunches. 

This burgeoning influence has turned the heads of major campaigns and super PACs — not just in Georgia, but in other battleground states where capturing the South Asian vote might clinch the presidency. 

Their populations have ballooned since the last presidential election, and in states like Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania, they have the potential to decide the election. New immigrants who have never voted in a presidential election before could be a huge part of the outcome.

“We are spending our energy predominantly in two places: Michigan and Georgia,” said Shekar Narasimhan, chairman of AAPI Victory Fund, a political action committee dedicated to mobilizing Asian American voters. “We have told the community that it is extremely important to participate in the American system. You have a responsibility. You have rights.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/battleground-states-south-asians-2024-election-rcna169796

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