Pattern of Violence Introduce Race into California 10th Race

 
An attack on a California Sikh man putting up campaign signs brings light to a pattern of violence and harassment against the Indian community in the California 10th district.
 
On July 31, 50-year-old Surjit Malhi was struck by two unidentified men who beat him, vandalized his car with white supremacist imagery, and demanded that he return to “[his] country,” reports CBS Sacramento. One week later, 71-year-old Sahib Singh Natt was assaulted in a robbery attempt, according to AJC.
 
While officials told the New India Times that they believe the incidents are separate, the incidents come amid a controversial congressional race in that district between incumbent Republican Jeff Denham (CA-12) and Democratic candidate Josh Harder.
 
Representative Denham’s campaign told the New India Times that there have been three instances of criminal behavior toward members of the campaign in the past two weeks. The Modesto Bee reports that the congressman also visited Malhi, one of his supporters, in the hospital.
 
While the congressman urges racial and religious tolerance, critics say that his voting record is not consistent with the sentiment. The New India Times cites that Denham has “has consistently aligned himself with reductions in legal immigration, including H1-Bs and employment-based visas, which disparately impact the South Asian community.” The response of Denham’s campaign has been criticized as “colorblind.” His campaign manager Joshua Whitfield told the New India Times that “the Congressman works to ensure the safety of all his volunteers and staff regardless of their background.”
 
Denham’s Democratic opponent Josh Harder’s campaign addressed the issue of hate crimes more directly, stating that “hateful comments have no place in our district or anywhere, for that matter…Ensuring that federal legislation exists to effectively cut back on hate crimes is a priority for Josh, for all South Asians and other minority groups.”
 
California’s 10th district is important for continued GOP control of the House of Representatives. Candidate Harder challenges Denham, a moderate Republican incumbent in a district that Hillary Clinton won by a substantial margin in 2016, according to NYTimes.
 
While only time will tell who will claim the congressional seat in November, recent events shine a light on race, a key topic in this election cycle.
 
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