Asian-Americans, which includes the Indian community as well, are now the “cause of victory” in US politics and just no longer the “margin of victory”, according to an Indian-American political activist.

About the Asian-American community, it is normally believed that “we are the margin of victory, which means that in a close race this vote by swinging 10 points one way or the other, can make the difference in an election,” said Shekhar Narasimhan, an Indian-American entrepreneur, community leader and political activist.

“I’ve completely refuted that. Now I think we are the cause of victory,” Narasimhan told PTI, citing the example of the recent victory of Senator Raphael Warnock from the Democratic Party in Atlanta.

In the Warnock race in Senate, of the 99,000 votes, he finally won the runoff with 34,000 votes from the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islanders) community that weren’t cast during the midterms, said Narasimhan, who heads the AAPI Victory Fund – a Political Action Committee that focuses on mobilising AAPI eligible voters and supports Democrat AAPI candidates.

“We (AAPI Victory Fund) had a lot to do with delivering those votes…A swing of 68,000 votes in that election could have changed the dynamic of that election completely. It wasn’t just the overwhelming black vote and the strong vote he got from the Atlanta suburbs. It was the Asian-American vote. They agree. I don’t think he could have won without us,” Narasimhan said, adding that this is the case when the community is four per cent of the voting population in Atlanta.

He noted that the same is the case with other swing States in the country. In Pennsylvania, the AAPI community is four per cent, and in Michigan five per cent. In Arizona, while it is just two per cent, in a race, which is decided by 10,000 votes, this makes the difference.

In Nevada, where AAPI has 12 per cent of Asian-American votes, the community plays a decisive role. The community makes a significant impact in Wisconsin, another battleground State.

In North Carolina, where the community has grown pretty fast, Asian-Americans would play a decisive role in the victory of a candidate.

“I think we could swing North Carolina because of the Asian American vote, and that’s gonna be one of our major priorities. We can, we will certainly work in the other states and make sure that we are mobilising and doing the job with the campaign. But North Carolina, to me, is a place we could really spend some time focusing on and make a big difference,” he said.

Responding to a question, Narasimhan said it would be easier to convince Asian Americans if the 2024 race ends up between President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump.

It would be tough if Biden faces a new opponent and even tougher if his opponent ends up being an Indian-American like Nikki Haley, who last month announced her entry into the 2024 race from the Republican party, he said.

Noting that AAPI Victory Fund would definitely look into the various policies of Haley if she was to be the GOP nominee, Narasimhan said “good chances” are that they would end up supporting and endorsing Biden in the 2024 race. “She is a very orthodox conservative Republican,” he said.

Narasimhan has been a long-time Democratic party supporter and fundraiser.

“We are open to, if an AAPI woman can become president and it’s not Kamala Harris in the near term, then why would we not at least consider it? We should think about that. But at the end of the day, if the value systems are not matched, and if the theory of life that she has is fundamentally different, which she is governed like that in the past, then we will opt to not only support Biden, but also quite frankly, talk to our community about why she may be the wrong candidate,” Narasimhan said.

“So, there is work to be done depending upon the circumstances, but there’s a good chance that we will be supporting Biden relatively early, and if another AAPI candidate is in the race while we evaluate it, there’s a good chance we’ll be on the opposite opposing side of it, rather than on the pro-side,” he said.

“I’m very pleased that people who have names like Nikki, Jindal and Ramaswamy can run. That means somebody’s going to learn to pronounce Narasimhan also. So, there’s a fundamental feeling in my bones that says, this is mainstreaming. This is showing, like you have CEOs of Fortune 50 companies, like you have professors and deans and presidents of universities. It’s a marker. It says progress is being made. We are mainstreaming. So, a very fundamentally good thing,” he said.

“Where I’m ambivalent is I find that as some of these candidates have chosen, frankly, not to endorse their own heritage, or if they’ve got to it, they’ve got to it pretty late. I believe as an example that Nikki Haley had not been to India. If she had ever been, it was once. And the first time she went was when she was US Ambassador,” he noted.

“I’m very pleased she went to India. But how can you say, I’m Indian-American and you’ve never been to India. Even my son who was born and brought up in this country has been to India 10 times. I make the point that if you do sort of, don’t even acknowledge your own heritage, heritage involves not just going around saying, you know, here are my parents. They see the picture. They are different from ordinary Americans. I think that’s good. But it goes back to my first point. But, and then more importantly, what are the value systems?” he said, adding that those are quite different.

US State Department’s spokesperson Ned Price will soon vacate his position. According to the announcement made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Indian-American Vedant Patel, who is currently working as the deputy spokesperson, will take over the position of interim spokesperson.

Price, who has been applauded by Blinken for starting the daily press briefings of the department which were irregular during the Trump administration, has till now held over 200 press briefings while he was in the office, and has been appreciated for his respectful demeanour towards colleagues and journalists.

While the Biden administration has not yet announced a replacement for Price, Patel has been given the responsibility to take charge in the interim.

Who is Vedant Patel?

Indian-American Vedant Patel, aged 33, was born in Gujarat, India. He graduated from the University of California, Riverside, and has worked on different political campaigns and been assigned various roles in the White House.

Patel worked as US President Joe Biden’s Assistant Press Secretary and spokesperson, where he sharpened his skills in managing media relations and communications strategy.

Before that, Patel was the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s spokesperson, where he worked in crafting the incoming administration’s messaging and image.

Patel also has experience of working on various political campaigns, including those of Congressman Mike Honda and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, where he served as Communications Director.

The experience he holds in shaping the public image of officials and political candidates has made him the Democratic Party’s valuable asset.

Taking to Twitter after the announcement, Patel said, “Always have been in awe of Ned Price. In awe of his unflappability, his big heart, his deep understanding of foreign policy, his fierce loyalty to the State Department and his team. Thankful to have spent time in the foxhole with him, and so glad he’s not going far!”

Indian-American Democrat Party member and a senior finance professional, Kannan Srinivasan, has announced his candidacy for the Virginia House of Delegates.

Srinivasan currently serves as Vice-Chair in the Virginia State Medicaid Board (DMAS) and he took to Twitter to announce his candidacy for the 26th District of the Virginia House of Delegates.

”It is with immense pride that I declare my candidacy to represent Loudoun County, which has been my home for a quarter century,” Srinivasan said in a release he tweeted on March 5.

“My experience in both the public and private sectors will serve the residents of Loudoun and Virginians across the Commonwealth well,” he said.

According to the release, Srinivasan announced his candidacy with 20 major endorsements and the support of elected officials and residents across the district.

”Kannan Srinivasan has been a public servant for years. I enthusiastically endorse his candidacy for Virginia State Delegate and will do all I can to help him become a member of the Virginia General Assembly,” Loudon County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall said.

Srinivasan who immigrated from India in the early 90s serves as a Commissioner in Loudoun Economic Development Advisory Commission, where his focus is on helping Loudoun diversify its economy, his website said.

”I will fight for our public schools, stand up for gun safety, and protect abortion rights. I look forward to earning your support,” Srinivasan tweeted.

As a young individual, Srinivasan was hit by a truck and was denied Medicaid assistance. He is now a part of the Virginia Medicaid Board and has helped expand it to cover more than 2 million Virginians.

A University of Madras graduate, Srinivasan served as Treasurer of the Loudoun County Democratic Committee (LCDC) for two terms (four years) and was recently its finance chair.

He got his Chartered Accountant professional certification from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and was the Secretary of Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia.

”Kannan’s parents were proud school teachers who instilled the value of public service, and he believes in education being the greatest equalizer and the best investment for our community’s future,” his website said.

Indian-American Democrat Suhas Subramanyam has announced his bid for Virginia’s newly-drawn 32nd Senate District.

Subramanyam, who is serving the 87th District of Virginia, will succeed Senator John Bell, who announced he will not be in the race for Senate again.

“If elected to the Senate, I will continue the work I started as a delegate to empower my constituents, put people and families before special interests, and stand up for our core values,” Subramanyam said in a statement.

In his bid, Subramanyam is endorsed by Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton, Senator John Bell and several Democratic elected leaders representing the Eastern Loudoun county.

A resident of Loudoun County, Subramanyam became the first Indian-American and South Asian to ever be elected to the Virginia General Assembly in 2019.

“I look forward to sharing my vision this campaign season of creating a robust economy that works for Loudon families and businesses alike, protecting our freedoms like reproductive rights and voting rights from extremism, delivering a world-class education to our kids, and keeping our community safe and healthy,” he added.

A technology and regulatory attorney, Subramanyam served as a White House advisor to President Barack Obama in 2015, where he led a task force on technology policy that addressed job creation, IT modernisation, and regulating emerging technology.

Prior to that, he earned his law degree with honors from Northwestern University School of Law, volunteering at the Center for Wrongful Convictions, where he was part of the legal team that freed a man who had spent 21 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

For his professional accomplishments and work in the community, he was named to the Loudoun Times-Mirror’s ’40 Under 40′.

Subramanyam will face former state delegate and dentist Ibraheem Samirah in the primary for the 32nd District.

A 38-year-old Indian-American has pleaded guilty to charges related to almost $20 million in fraud that he perpetrated while on federal pre-trial release for another crime.

Nikesh Ajay Patel of Florida was charged with 13 counts, including one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money-laundering, and eight counts of money-laundering.

He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison for each count of conspiracy and wire fraud, and up to 20 years’ imprisonment for each money-laundering count, according to a Department of Justice release.

His sentencing date has not yet been scheduled, Attorney Roger B Handberg announced on Monday.

According to court documents, Patel, who was charged in 2014 by the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Illinois for a $179 million fraud scheme, was arrested and released on bond.

For the next several years, Patel claimed that he was cooperating with authorities and using his business skills to get funds to repay some of what he owed.

In fact, Patel had devised a new scheme that netted him almost $20 million.