Indian American and other South Asian American groups say efforts to reach out to GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley have been ignored.
Haley is positioning herself as an alternative to Donald Trump. She is within single digits in New Hampshire and participated in a one-on-one debate with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Wednesday.
Yet Indian American and other South Asian American groups in Iowa say their invitations to Haley have been met with silence. The Iowa Caucus are set for January 15.
“Do you want the support and do you support the engagement of Indian Americans across the board?” asked Prakash Kopparapu, chairman of the Indo-American PAC-IA, said to the Hindustan Times. “It really raises the question: Who are you willing to engage in the dialogue?”
Leaders from the South Asian American community told the New York Times they began reaching out to Haley in the spring. They had offered to host her in temples, house parties and town halls. So far, the offers have been rebuffed.
A Haley spokesperson says the candidate has taken a broader strategy.
“Nikki is working to lift up all Americans by making America strong and proud,” said Olivia Perez-Cubas to the Times.
There are about 20,000 Indian Americans in Iowa.
Indian Americans speculate that Haley feels their population base is too small to make a difference. They say that’s a mistake.
“We are low in numbers — but not that low,” Mr. Pathak said. “And we are increasing day by day.”
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It’s quite simple. Ms. Haley is seeking to ‘pass’ which necessary if she is to garner support with the inherently racist right wing voters in control of the GOP. Any hint of a non-Judaeo Christian heritage would torpor her political ambitions.