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What can be termed as a piece of good news for Donald Trump ahead of the results, a mojor section of Indian-Americans, Muslims, and African-Americans in the battleground state of Michigan, who traditionally supported Democratic candidates in previous elections, have shifted their support towards Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Many political experts see this move as a significant move that could impact the results of the US election.
Michigan is one of the seven battleground states in the 2024 elections with a razor-thin margin of victory expected
As the auto capital of the world, Detroit drives Michigan’s economy, generating numerous jobs in the manufacturing sector, particularly in the automotive industry.
The state’s strong working-class presence and robust labour unions add to its significance in the electoral landscape.
Michigan stands out for its diverse demographics like New York in the East Coast and California in the West Coast.
The state boasts of a significant Muslim population and several Congressional districts predominantly represented by African Americans.
Detroit, in particular, is home to a rapidly growing Indian American community, evident in the increasing number of temples, restaurants, and grocery stores catering to this population over the past decade.
For many traditional Democratic Indian Americans like Ashok Baddi, a successful businessman and community leader, Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s Indian-African ethnicity and common cultural roots have not made an impact on his decision to vote this year.
Unlike in the previous years, Baddi says he is voting for Trump and not Harris.
“Multiple factors,” Baddi told PTI in Detroit on Friday. “She (Harris) never associated herself with the (Indian) community. Harris would not be good for the India-US relationship. On the other hand, Trump has been good to Hindu Americans. He has a very good relationship with (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi,” he said.
Furthermore, Baddi said there was no war under Trump’s administration. The cost of essential commodities have skyrocketed under the Biden-Harris administration, he said.
Sunny Reddy, who is running for an at-large seat of the Wayne State Board of Governors, believes that the Indian American votes on Tuesday would be split equally between Trump and Harris.
“It’s a close fight. A large section of Indian Americans has moved towards Trump,” Reddy told PTI.
South Asian Kamal Rahman, who is of Bangladeshi origin and advisor to Mayor Amer Ghalib of Hamtramck, Michigan, notes that at least 20 per cent of the Muslim Americans in Michigan have moved towards Trump this election cycle. Ghalib, who is the first Arab-American and the first Muslim to govern the city, has recently endorsed Trump.
The reasons for this shift, Rahman said, are manifold, including the economic situation and Trump’s stand on LGBTQ.
“He (Trump) is not anti-Muslim,” Rahman told PTI. Rahman and his Mayor are Democrats. However, he said, “I am voting for Trump.”
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