- Monday, March 10, 2025
There are five Indian-American lawmakers in the current House of Representatives — Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Shri Thanedar, Pramila Jayapal and Ami Bera. They all are Democrats.
By: Shajil Kumar
ALL five Indian-American lawmakers have hailed US president Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the presidential race and three of them threw their weight behind vice president Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s likely presidential nominee.
Biden, 81, announced on Sunday that he decided to give up running for re-election as president of the United States and endorsed his deputy Harris to be the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party — with just 107 days left until the November 5 elections.
There are five Indian-American lawmakers in the current House of Representatives — Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Shri Thanedar, Pramila Jayapal and Ami Bera. They all are Democrats.
Three of them – Khanna, Thanedar and Jayapal – have endorsed Harris, 59, so far. Harris is the first-ever Indian American to be elected as the vice president of the country.
Congresswoman Jayapal was the first among the first of the five Indian-American lawmakers to endorse Harris to be the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party. “Kamala Harris for President. Let’s beat Donald Trump and make history,” Jayapal said in a post on social media throwing her full support to Harris.
The four-term lawmaker, Jayapal is the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the House of Representatives. Over the last few years, she has emerged as a powerful voice in the party and is considered as one of the most influential Democratic lawmakers.
“I am proud to endorse Kamala Harris as our nominee. Her trailblazing candidacy as the first African American woman and first Asian American will be a jolt of energy in our party. Our party can now run on a message of hope and a vision for the future,” Khanna said.
He said Biden will be remembered as an extraordinary president for starting to reverse 40-plus years of economic policy that has devastated working-class communities.
Thanedar in a statement said he had no doubt that President Biden would have beaten Trump.
“But I respect his decision and fully support and echo his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris. She would be a fantastic nominee and would be an amazing President. I look forward to another 4 years of a Democratic presidency that puts people first,” Thanedar said.
“President Biden’s policy achievements have already established his place as one of the most consequential presidents in American history,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said.
“Through his decision today, Joe Biden has demonstrated the true and selfless nature of a life committed to putting the country, and his fellow Americans, first,” he said in a statement.
Congressman Bera said Biden is the most consequential and effective president of his lifetime. “From passing historic investments in infrastructure to restoring American leadership on the world stage, I am proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish under his leadership. Thank you for your 50-plus years of unwavering service and dedication to our great nation,” he said.
Democrats divided
Meanwhile, there are plenty of doubts inside the Democratic Party about whether Harris can beat Trump. Some Democrats have suggested that the party hold a mini-primary before the August convention.
Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, who served as secretary of State under President Barack Obama, also endorsed Harris in a statement.
Still, others, including Pelosi and Obama, under whom Biden served as vice president for eight years, thanked Biden for his patriotism but did not yet throw their support behind Harris or any other candidate.
“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” Obama said in a statement. “But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
Just as he did in 2020 once Biden earned the Democratic nomination, Obama believes he will be uniquely positioned to help unite the party once it has a nominee, said a source familiar with the matter.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who praised Biden’s decision to step aside, also was silent on who should be the Democrats’ nominee.
U.S. Senator Peter Welch, the first Democratic senator to call on Biden to drop his reelection run, called for an open nomination process.
The Democrats should have “an open process so that whoever our nominee is, including Kamala, has the strength of having a process that shows the consensus position of the party,” Welch said. “The debate in the Democratic Party is who can carry on the legacy of President Biden and defeat Trump.”
One Democratic donor told Reuters they would support a ticket for Harris as the presidential candidate and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as her vice president, as a way to gain votes in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state. It is not known yet whom Harris would pick as her vice president if she does become the nominee.
And a group appealing to supporters of former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley who had been backing Biden under the name Haley Voters for Biden, changed its name on Sunday to Haley Voters for Harris. (Agencies)
