On a recent October evening on New York’s Upper East Side, hundreds of influential Indian-Americans, ranging from Bollywood actors to tech CEOs, dressed in bedazzled outfits and heavy jewelry, gathered mingled around a cocktail to celebrate the Hindu festival of lights in the chic hotel The Pierre. .

But while the invitation called for a Diwali celebration, the party was bubbling with excitement over the Indian-American community’s latest political event: Kamala Harris becoming the first U.S. presidential candidate of South Asian descent to lead a party major.

“This time around, it’s so unique because we have someone who we can relate to and who hopefully has our best interests at heart,” said Jessel Taank, the first Indian actor in the Bravo reality show, The Real Housewives of New York City, on the BBC. at the All That Glitters Diwali Ball.

“You can’t be what you can’t see,” added Reshma Saujani, CEO of Girls Who Code and the first Indian-American woman to run for U.S. Congress in 2010, noting that so many South Asian girls see themselves. in Harris.

The challenge for Harris is channeling that enthusiasm among a burgeoning immigrant population that has moved beyond the traditional South Asian strongholds of California and New York into key states like Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Harris and her Republican opponent Donald Trump have stepped up efforts to court Indian Americans, the largest and most politically active group among Asian American voters, in a close election where any demographic advantage could make tilt the scales in their favor.

Harris became the first person of Indian descent, as well as the first woman and Black person elected vice president in 2020. But the 2024 election — and her surprise candidacy — culminates in the Indian-American community’s transition to a political force. over the last decade.

Alongside Harris, this presidential cycle has been marked by the rise of other Native Americans, including Usha Vance, the wife of Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance. During the Republican primary, voters were introduced to Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, both of whom challenged Trump for the nomination.