16th May 2025
Biden, Harris meet top donors, Indian-American entrepreneur to raise funds for 2024 election campaign

Biden, Harris meet top donors, Indian-American entrepreneur to raise funds for 2024 election campaign

by | May 1, 2023 | Indian-American

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U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris over the weekend met top 150 donors, including an Indian-American entrepreneur, to develop a successful strategy to raise funds for their 2024 re-election campaign, participants of the meeting said.
During the event, Mr. Biden highlighted the importance of donors and their contribution to preserving democracy, while lambasting former president Donald Trump-led “MAGA Republicans” and emphasising abortion rights.
Although the reception was not a fundraiser, it marked a new effort to bring in untapped donors into the fold, participants of the meeting said.
Leading Indian-American fundraiser, Ajay Jain Bhutoria, who is the Democratic Party deputy national finance chair, was among the 150 major Democratic donors to attend the meeting in Washington DC.
It is understood that the campaign has set a target of raising $2 billion for the 2024 re-election campaign.
The event marked the first in-person donor conference of Mr. Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign, where Democratic Party officials presented their campaign strategy and began their fundraising efforts to reach the goal of $2 billion — double the $1 billion raised during the previous election cycle.
Participants of the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that both Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris along with their strategists appeared confident of winning the 2024 election cycle based on their accomplishments so far. But they are not taking any chances, one of the participants said.
Also in attendance were Governor of California Gavin Newsom, Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy, Governor of Maryland Wes Moore, and various members of the Congress and Senate.
During the meetings, Mr. Bhutoria praised the Biden administration’s accomplishments, including groundbreaking legislations such as the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, the Respect for Marriage Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Mr. Bhutoria’s attendance at the event and being one of the 150 people nationwide highlights the growing influence and representation of the Indian-American community in national politics, and their support for the Democratic Party and its candidates.
His role as the Democratic Party deputy national finance chair also emphasises the importance of fundraising efforts and the role of donors in shaping the future of American politics.
Mr. Bhutoria has been a long-time supporter of Mr. Biden and played a crucial role in securing his victory in the 2020 election. He raised a significant amount of money for the campaign and rallied millions of grassroots South Asian voters who proved to be the deciding factor in several battleground states.
“We have done a lot, but there’s so much more to do. And with your help, I know we can do it. I really do. Just like we did in 2020, remember 2020, when everyone had written us off? But you folks — you folks in this room, you know we could do it, and we did. You raised significant amounts of money to allow us to compete,” Mr. Biden said in an address to his donors.
“And remember 2022, the midterm elections, when we were supposed to get our clock clean and swamped? “The red wave is coming.”
Give me a break. Because of your help, it never happened, and we met the moment again and a broad coalition with all of you. And we’re going to do it again in 2024 together. And, folks, as we enter this reelection campaign, hear this: We wouldn’t be here without you. That is not — that’s not an exaggeration. And I couldn’t be more grateful,” Mr. Biden said.
Vice President Harris personally spoke with all the top donors one-on-one.
“Ms. Harris has also been out pushing the Biden agenda, having recently delivered remarks about abortion rights in a speech at Howard University. She talked about her work on abortion issues, insulin and broadband access in her remarks on Friday,” NBC News reported.
Political visibility of Indian-Americans far bigger than 1% population share

Political visibility of Indian-Americans far bigger than 1% population share

by | May 1, 2023 | Indian-American

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With a likely Joe Biden vs Donald Trump redux in the impending 2024 US presidential elections, the Indian-Americans — comprising slightly more than 1 per cent of the total US population and less than a per cent of all registered voters — will be in the spotlight once again, courtesy their growing political, social and economic clout.
While they are concentrated in states like New York, New Jersey, California and Texas, Indian-Americans have begun to matter more in the closely-contested states, and their votes might turn out to be decisive in the case of swing states like Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
In general, Indian-Americans have largely sided with the Democrats, but like in the last elections, both Democrats and Republicans will leave no stone unturned to attract a community that can play a pivotal role — from campaigning to endorsing candidates to fundraising for the elections.
According to media reports, for his 2024 campaign, Biden is bringing together a newer generation of diverse leadership along with experienced advisors who helped him win the White House in 2020.
The South Asians for America (SAFA), a grassroots organisation dedicated to education, advocacy, and mobilisation of the South Asian community, recently announced that they will endorse both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 run.
“By re-electing President Biden and Vice President Harris, we hope to continue to strengthen our democracy at home, advance our democratic values, and continue to strengthen our global alliances in an ever-changing global landscape,” said Neha Dewan, National Director of SAFA.
Biden’s major fundraisers, which include Indian-Americans, had helped raise at least $100,000 for his 2020 campaign.
To name a few, a likely list includes prominent Indian-American community organisations and leaders like Ajay Bhutoria, Frank Islam, Raj Shah, Ramesh Kapoor, Indian-American Impact, Indiaspora and AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) Victory Fund.
Trump, meanwhile, had won over Indian supporters with events like ‘Howdy Modi’ and for his open support and friendship for India in the past.
During his re-election campaign in 2020, he launched four new coalitions — ‘Indian Voices for Trump’, ‘Hindu Voices for Trump’, ‘Sikhs for Trump’ and ‘Muslim Voices for Trump’ — to amass support from these communities.
This year, Shalabh ‘Shalli’ Kumar, a fierce Trump supporter, has been appointed the national chairman of a new Republican Hindu and Indian American coalition, according to a Republican National Committee announcement.
The two coalitions, apart from building and mobilising Hindu and Indian American communities across the US, will assist the indicted leader in his 2024 campaign. An official word is awaited, though.
Apart from Chicago-based industrialist Kumar, who was also the financial backer and chair of the 2016 Indian Americans for Trump Campaign, loyalist Kash Patel, who joined the Trump administration in 2019, continues to serve as a key political advisor to Trump.
Patel’s staunch loyalty towards Trump scored brownie points from former advisor Roger Stone who remarked that the former president named his dog “Kash” as a “homage” to Patel.
Since Trump formally announced his re-election bid in November, Patel has been reportedly mentioned on right-wing media as a potential contender for attorney general or CIA director, according to ABC News.
“If Trump’s back in, I’m back in,” Patel, a former federal prosecutor and senior intelligence official, had said in a December interview.
Other top Trump supporters include Danny Gaekwad, who has raised funds for all Republican presidential candidates since George W Bush, Sridhar Chityala, who is on the advisory board of Indian voice for Trump Coalition, Rick Desai, Dr Sampat Shivangi, Shridhar Chityala, and Prem Parameswaran to name a few.
Indian-American Lawyer To Be Inducted To Maryland Business Hall Of Fame

Indian-American Lawyer To Be Inducted To Maryland Business Hall Of Fame

by | Apr 28, 2023 | Indian-American

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Sheela Murthy, a prominent Indian-American entrepreneur and immigration lawyer, will be inducted into the Maryland Business Hall of Fame for her leadership skills and entrepreneurial acumen and spirit. Murthy, founder and president of Murthy Law Firm, will be honoured at the annual Maryland Chamber of Commerce’s Inspire MD event on May 11 at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

“This honor is particularly meaningful as I believe in the mission of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce and the Maryland Chamber Foundation to support a strong business climate, impacting the quality of life for businesses, individuals and families across our great State and country,” said Murthy.

She also co-founded the nonprofit MurthyNAYAK Foundation, dedicated to implementing socially transformative projects designed to improve the lives of women, children and immigrants — both in India, as well as the US.

“For her incredible leadership, entrepreneurial acumen and spirit, generous contributions through service and philanthropy, and for her passionate work at helping others achieve their dreams, the Maryland Chamber of Commerce is delighted to induct Sheela Murthy into the Maryland Business Hall of Fame,” a Maryland Chamber of Commerce statement read.

The Maryland Chamber of Commerce with 6,800-plus members is the leading voice for business in the state.
Its Inspire MD event gathers Maryland’s leaders, changemakers, entrepreneurs, influencers and professionals for an evening celebrating the people and organisations that make Maryland unique.

India-born Murthy graduated from Stella Maris College in Chennai and the University Law College in Bengaluru, after which she immigrated to the US and enrolled in Harvard Law School.

She began her accomplished career with law firms in New York and Baltimore, eventually working to found Murthy Law Firm, using her passion, experience and knowledge to support individuals and families with achieving their American dream of living and working in the US, the Chamber statement read.

The Murthy Law Firm is recognised as one the world’s premier US immigration law firms with headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland and satellite offices in Seattle, Washington and affiliate offices in Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Throughout her storied career, Murthy has been honoured and awarded by Ernst & Young, the Baltimore Business Journal, the Daily Record, SmartCEO magazine, the United Way and numerous others.

Indian-American to lead Stony Brook’s College of Business in NY

Indian-American to lead Stony Brook’s College of Business in NY

by | Apr 28, 2023 | Indian-American

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Indian-American IIT graduate Haresh Gurnani has been named the new dean of the College of Business at Stony Brook University in New York, and will take on the new role beginning July 2023.

Gurnani currently serves as area chair of Business Analytics, Operations Management, Marketing and Economics areas in the School of Business at Wake Forest University.

He is Thomas H. Davis Chair in the school, program director of the Mathematical Business Program, and serves on the university’s committee on Network for Inclusive Leadership and Engagement.

“Haresh is ideally suited to serve as our next leader, bringing a key set of experiences and skills essential for advancing the upward trajectory of the College, including management of enrollment growth, building industry partnerships, and fundraising,” said Carl Lejuez, provost and executive vice president at Stony Brook.

Gurnani’s research interests are in operations and supply chain analytics, retail distribution channel design and marketing, healthcare operations and marketing, sharing economy, and sustainability.

He succeeds Manny London, who has served as dean of the College for the last decade.

“Business education plays a key role in providing valuable opportunities for socio-economic mobility and entrepreneurial growth for students. With its rich heritage for inter-college collaborations, I am excited to work with colleagues to identify and develop new partnerships and programs that would continue to make Stony Brook a destination of choice for students in New York,” Gurnani said in a university statement.

As area chair in the School of Business at Wake Forest, Gurnani has overseen strategic planning, new program development, faculty recruitment and development, research strategy, and accreditation review.

Under his leadership of the Mathematical Business Program, enrollment has grown 80 per cent and new partnerships have been developed with industry to identify company projects, the university statement read.

Armed with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, and a master’s and doctorate in operations research from Carnegie Mellon University, Gurnani has also held faculty positions at University of Miami and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

With more than 24,000 students, more than 2,800 faculty members, Stony Brook University is ranked among the top 35 public universities by Forbes and one of the top 80 universities in the nation by the US News & World Report Best Colleges listing.

Indian-American community leader urges US lawmakers to remove the 7 per cent country limit on green cards

Indian-American community leader urges US lawmakers to remove the 7 per cent country limit on green cards

by | Apr 27, 2023 | Immigration

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An eminent Indian-American community leader from Silicon Valley has urged US lawmakers to remove the prevailing seven per cent cap on green cards, observing that the country-specific limit on the most sought-after residency document has created extensive backlogs. A Green Card is a document issued to immigrants to the US as evidence that the bearer has been granted the privilege of residing in the country permanently.

Speaking at the US-India summit held at the US Capitol on Wednesday, Ajay Jain Bhutoria, an entrepreneur and community leader, asked why there was a cap on the Green Card if not on an H-1 visa.

“When we do not have a country’s limit on giving an H-1 visa to support our companies, businesses and economy. Why should we have a country cap limit on green card issuance,” Bhutoria said at the summit organised by Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna in his capacity as Co-chair of the Congressional India Caucus.

The per-country caps are numerical limits on the issuance of green cards to individuals from certain countries.

Immigration law provides for approximately 140,000 employment-based green cards to be issued each year.

However, only seven per cent of those green cards can go to individuals from a single country annually.

If the number of individuals being sponsored from a single country is greater than seven per cent of the annual available total, a backlog forms and the excess approved petitions are not considered until a visa becomes available and their petition falls within the initial seven per cent per-country cap.

“These country-specific caps have created extensive backlogs, forcing individuals from certain countries-primarily India and China in the employment-based categories- to wait much longer than average to receive their green cards, simply because of their country of origin,” he said.

“We estimate that more than 880,000 people, including dependent spouses and children, are waiting in the US in employment-based green card backlogs.

“In some categories, applicants who began the process in 2012 are just now able to file formally, meaning they may have waited more than a decade to join their families, even though they were already qualified to do so. These wait times are projected to extend up to 50 years if the law is not changed,” Bhutoria said.

Making a detailed presentation, Bhutoria said that the number of students coming to the US from India on average is around 180-190 thousand per year.

There are 85,000 H-1B work visas issued every year and out of which nearly 60 per cent of H-1B visas are issued via a fair lottery system to tech workers from India, so around 51,000-60,000 H-1B visas.

The number of employment-based green cards issued to people from India is roughly around 7,000-8,000 per year due to the seven per c ..

cent country cap limit.

This 7,000-8,000 includes dependents of primary applicants, so roughly 2,000 Individual H-1B applicants get green cards every year for people of India.

Bhutoria said 180-190 thousand students from India come here to study, 50,000-60,000 get H-1B and only roughly 2,000 get green cards every year due to the country’s seven per cent cap limit, the rest applicants continue to live an uncertain life.

“So the request is to remove the seven per cent country limit,” Bhutoria said.