South Asians witnessed Nikki Haley quietly withdraw from the presidential candidacy on Wednesday. Due to her strained connection with Indian Americans, Haley did not inspire many. Indian Americans, 68% Democratic, struggled with her campaign: They believed a national celebrity didn't represent them.
As Haley and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy dominated headlines and debates, the GOP primary divided the town. Gen Z candidate Ashwin Ramaswami, 24, said, “I'm glad it's over,” in his first Georgia state Senate contest. “It was fascinating to watch.”Experts say Haley's policies didn't reflect Indian American voters' views. Despite her moderate Trump support, AAPI Victory Alliance executive director Varun Nikore said she failed South Asians on firearms, climate, and reproductive rights.
Haley's resignation confirms Trump's selection. She had no response from her campaign."Nikki was still in the extremist camp — frankly, in the Trump camp — on all those key issues," stated. Most AAPIs and South Asian Americans are alien to her. Voters are relieved and scared about Haley's departure. While they believe she misrepresented them, a Biden-Trump rematch frightens them. Nikore said, “Nikki Haley has come up in a lot of conversations among my South Asian friends, family, and colleagues. Maybe some were hopeful. I thought many supported Nikki because they knew Trump was extreme.
Some South Asian voters say Haley never sought community or identity. Some claim this election revealed her Indian heritage. Harita Iswara, 23, from Washington, D.C., said Haley promoted the model minority stereotype rather than supporting communities of color. Haley and Ramaswamy failed to convert white Christians, she said. Republican Party racism denied them a chance, she feels.
Trump's January birther conspiracy theory claimed Haley's Indian immigrant parentage precluded her from being president. SC-born Haley. The right-wing podcaster Ann Coulter made racist slurs about Haley in February 2023. “Why not return to your country?” she suggested. Why worship cows? They're hungry there. In a temple, they worship rats. Ramaswamy constantly chastised Haley for using “Nikki,” instead of her Indian American birth name, Nimrata Randhawa. “An easy thing for me to do being a politician to follow this track is shorten my name, profess to be a Christian and run,” Ramaswamy said in a town hall. “Be honest—it happens. Give Vivek a nickname like Vikki.”
“I think we can disagree politically with her, and you should,” Rudra said. “I don’t think it touches her identity.”She added younger generations don't understand the push to assimilate elder South Asians and that Haley hasn't “whitewashed” herself.
“I get the sense that many people think she’s betraying the culture or community by being a Republican,” she said. "And I think that is emblematic of where a lot of the South Asian diaspora in the US is—coastal."
Georgia state Senate candidate Ramaswami sees a post-Haley South Asian political generation. He complimented Haley for her long fight against Trump but said new voices are needed. Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy were the only Indian Americans and South Asians in the primaries, he noted. “I saw them arguing and thought, ‘my position is not really represented here at all.’” Bad luck. A South Asian president who shares my values would be great.”
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