Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz campaigned on behalf of her husband, Vice Presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Sunday, at a Sikh temple.
New India Abroad reports the visit to the Gurdwara marks the first time a presidential campaign from a major political party has ever visited a Sikh temple.
“Sikh Americans play a vital role in shaping our nation through their resilience and leadership. It was an honor to be welcomed with open arms in Michigan yesterday, she said in a post Monday morning on Instagram.
Michigan state Representative Ranjeev Puri, the first Sikh American ever elected to the Michigan legislature, joined Walz along with Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI).
Walz emphasized that the Harris-Walz ticket would provide economic opportunity “that gives everyone a shot at the American Dream. That means making housing and health care more affordable, making it easier to start or grow a small business, making sure every child gets a quality education, and making sure our communities are safe from violence,” she said.
Data gathered by APIA Vote shows there are 221,000 eligible AAPI voters in the state with 58% being Indian American.
Sikhs are an important constituent in the state with 15 electoral votes.
According to a survey released just last month by AAPI Data, 83% of Indian American voters say they definitely plan to vote and 69% say they plan to vote for Harris-the highest support among all Asian American voters.
“It’ll take all of us to build a better future. That means, first and foremost, we need to vote,” said Mrs. Walz. “It’s the ultimate form of community service. Because our vote is our voice. We have a responsibility — to the generations that came to this country, and to generations to come — to make our voices heard.”
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