Immigration and Racism Shape Indian-American Midterm Vote

Conducted with YouGov from October 7 to 27 among 1,000 Indian-American adults, the survey points to declining Republican support in a community that has traditionally leaned Democratic. Among men aged 40 and above, 16 per cent said they planned to vote Republican, down from 32 per cent in January 2026. Among men aged 18 to 39, Republican support stood at 23 per cent, compared with the 40 per cent Donald Trump received from this group in 2024.

The survey found that 46 per cent identified as Democrats, 19 per cent as Republicans and about 26 per cent as independents. Not all respondents intending to vote Democratic cited support for the party: 35 per cent said opposition to the Republican candidate or party was their main reason, while 65 per cent said they supported the Democratic candidate or party.

Immigration is a key concern for many Indian-Americans, including H-1B visa restrictions, deportations and increased scrutiny of Indian IT companies. The source notes that Trump has repeatedly spoken against immigration without clearly distinguishing undocumented migrants from people legally living and working in the United States. Many Indian-Americans work in technology and other professional sectors.

The survey also found that 48 per cent encountered racist social media posts targeting Indians or Indian-Americans somewhat or very often; 25 per cent said they had been called a slur. In September 2026, the Department of Homeland Security posted an image of a Transformers character confronting a Sikh man, captioned, “America for Americans. Get off our roads. You don't know how to drive Mr. Singh”. The post, referring to a truck crash involving an Indian driver, was widely criticised as racist and later deleted. In October, authorities arrested a 19-year-old in Illinois over an alleged plan for a mass shooting at the Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple near Chicago. Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Bo French also drew criticism after claiming a photograph of South Asian University of Texas students celebrating a football victory showed Americans “displaced by foreigners”. French said he was criticising immigration policies, not targeting a particular community.

Indian-Americans account for around 1.5 per cent of the US population. About 5.2 million people identified as Indian in 2023. Their voter turnout was 71 per cent in the 2020 presidential election and around 70 per cent in 2024. The community has the highest median household income among major US ethnic groups, at more than twice the national median, and is estimated to contribute $250 billion to $300 billion in income tax, or around 5–6 per cent of the total. Nearly half live in California, Texas, New Jersey and New York; many others live in suburban areas of swing states including Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.