U.S. Vice Presidential Candidates with Indian Connections. In the upcoming U.S. elections, both major political parties have vice-presidential candidates with strong Indian connections, highlighting the increasing influence of the Indian diaspora in American politics. Kamala Harris’s mother hails from Tamil Nadu, India, while Usha Chilukuri Vance’s parents are from Andhra Pradesh.
Kamala Harris: Democratic Party’s Vice Presidential Candidate
Kamala Harris, the current Vice President of the United States, is running for re-election as the Democratic Party’s candidate. Born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, Harris made history as the first female, African-American, and Asian-American vice president of the United States, serving under President Joe Biden since 2021.
Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a Tamil Indian biologist whose research on the progesterone receptor gene significantly advanced breast cancer studies. She moved from India to the United States in 1958 as a 19-year-old graduate student, after completing her studies in home science at Lady Irwin College in New Delhi. Gopalan pursued nutrition and endocrinology at the University of California, Berkeley, and earned her PhD in 1964. Kamala Harris’s father, Donald J. Harris, is of Afro-Jamaican descent and is a professor emeritus of economics at Stanford University. He came to the United States from British Jamaica in 1961 for graduate studies at UC Berkeley and obtained his PhD in economics in 1966.
Harris has had a distinguished career in politics and law. She graduated from Howard University and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney’s office. She later served in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and as the city attorney of San Francisco. In 2003, Harris was elected District Attorney of San Francisco, and in 2010, she became the Attorney General of California, serving until 2017.
Elected as a U.S. senator from California in 2017, Harris was the second African-American woman and the first South Asian American to serve in the Senate. During her tenure, she advocated for healthcare reform, the de-scheduling of cannabis, a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, the DREAM Act, strict gun control laws, and progressive tax reform. Her pointed questioning during Senate hearings, including that of Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, elevated her national profile.
Harris sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 but withdrew before the primaries. Joe Biden selected her as his running mate, and they successfully defeated the incumbent president and vice president, Donald Trump and Mike Pence, in the 2020 election.
JD Vance: Republican Party’s Vice Presidential Candidate
Ohio Senator JD Vance is Donald Trump’s pick for vice president. Vance’s Indian connection comes through his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, a corporate lawyer and practicing Hindu. Usha is the daughter of Indian immigrants from Andhra Pradesh and grew up in a religious household in California. She is seen as a symbol of generational change and growing diversity within the Republican Party.
Her parents are originally from a village near Pamarru in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, India, and they migrated to the U.S. in the 1980s. Her father, Radhakrishna “Krish,” is a lecturer in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at San Diego State University, while her mother, Lakshmi, is a marine molecular biologist and biochemist and serves as the Provost of Sixth College at the University of California, San Diego. She also has one sister.
Usha Chilukuri Vance is the daughter of Krish and Lakshmi Chilukuri, Indian American academics based in San Diego. Her background includes a strong academic influence, with Krish as an engineer and university lecturer and Lakshmi as a biologist and college provost.
Usha met JD Vance at Yale Law School, where they organized a discussion group on “social decline in white America,” a theme Vance later explored in his bestselling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.” Usha, once a registered Democrat, has been instrumental in reconnecting Vance with his Christian faith. The couple has three children, including a son named Vivek, highlighting their connection to family friend Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate.
Growing Influence of Indian Americans
The inclusion of candidates with Indian connections in the vice-presidential race underscores the increasing influence and representation of the Indian American community in U.S. politics. As the election approaches, both parties aim to engage diverse communities, reflecting the multicultural fabric of American society.
These developments highlight the evolving political landscape in the United States, where candidates from diverse backgrounds contribute to the nation’s democratic processes.
About the Author
Dr. Tausif Malik is an Indian American social entrepreneur, publisher, and academician, renowned for his innovative ventures. He founded and publishes The Desi Buzz, GCC Startup News, Startup Berita, and Halal Biz News, amplifying entrepreneurship globally. Dr. Malik also spearheads AIMBSN, Halal Angels Network, and Startup Villages, fostering startup ecosystems. His groundbreaking initiative, RiseBack.org, offers affordable edtech solutions, providing Indian university programs starting at $50 per month and professional IT courses priced at $250-$350. Through his diverse endeavors, Dr. Malik empowers individuals with access to education and opportunities.
