South Asian donors gave almost $2.4 million to Harris in first days of campaign

Almost $2.4 million in donations poured in from South Asian donors to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign within 10 days of President Biden’s endorsement.

When Harris stepped up as likely Democratic nominee on July 21, more than 23,000 South Asian doctors, attorneys, C-suite executives and IT professionals from California to New York pulled out their checkbooks in support of the first major presidential candidate with Indian heritage.

Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis have also donated to Biden with nearly $6.3 million this year, according to a Times analysis of July fundraising reports released Aug. 20.

Collectively, South Asian donors gave a daily average of $31,000 to Biden in 2024. Their support for Harris jumped to more than $508,000 the day Biden withdrew from the presidential race. Each day since her nomination, all South Asian supporters have steadily given an average of $186,000.

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These donors represent a sliver of almost $184 million donated to Harris’ campaign committees from individual donors since Biden dropped out of the race July 21, according to a Times analysis of Federal Election Commission filings released this week. The Times analysis includes itemized contributions to Harris for President, Harris Victory Fund, Harris Action Fund and Harris Baldwin Victory Fund. Some contributions to these committees were given through the left’s fundraising platform, ActBlue.

The Times identified contributors of South Asian descent, including India, Bangladesh and Pakistan by combining fundraising disclosures with a database of South Asian names. The list, compiled by a University of Chicago epidemiologist, Diane Lauderdale, and doctoral student Cal Chengqi Fang, was derived from administrative data, which include last names and associated countries of birth. The method is used by top universities to conduct elections research. However, it cannot identify all South Asian Americans, so The Times’ analysis likely represents an undercount.

Many of the donors are first-time supporters, pointing to a growing political force.

However, this is not the first time this group has given en masse. Indian Americans donated more than $3 million to 2020 presidential campaigns, according to a Times analysis.

“We’ve seen an extraordinary level of excitement and engagement where people are stepping up to support Kamala Harris for president in a meaningful way,” Neil Makhija, president of Indian American Impact and Montgomery County, Pa., commissioner said. “You’re going to see a significant number of new donors that give more and more frequently. This is just the beginning.”

Times staff writer Gabrielle LaMarr LeMee contributed to this report.