From Vivek Ramaswamy to Nikki Haley, meet Indian-American candidates vying for White House

As the race for the White House started getting intense, an interesting factor that came to the forefront was the rise of the prominence of Indian-American politicians in the United States. The wave that started with Vice President Kamala Harris in 2020 is getting wider as three-Indian origin candidates announced their bids for the White House. Things become even more compelling as they fight for the Republican nomination posing a major challenge to former US President Donald Trump. 

The Grand Old Party, which is known for its conservative values and propagating the “American spirit”, witnessed three Indian-Americans’ bid to the White House. From the war against big pharma to taking a strong stance against China, these candidates have given strong manifestos to an ultra-conservative crowd. Here’s a look at the three prominent Indian-origin candidates who are running for the White House. 

Nikki Haley 

The former Governor of South Carolina and ex-US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, was one of the first to announce her bid to the White House. With the proclamation of bringing the new generation to the forefront, Haley decided to challenge his erstwhile boss, Donald Trump. “I don’t think you need to be 80 years old to go be a leader in D.C.,” she told Fox News in January. “It’s time for a new generation of leadership,” said in her campaign message. 

Nimarata Nikki Randhawa, the 51-year-old conservative politician, is the daughter of Indian immigrants parents who came from Punjab. She started off as an ardent critic of Trump, later became his appointee to the UN and is now touted as one of his strongest rivals in the race to the White House. Calling herself the “New sheriff in town”, she is known for his strong persona. “I wear heels, but it’s not a fashion statement,” she once said. “I kick with a smile,” she added. 

Get excited! Time for a new generation.

Let’s do this! 👊 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/BD5k4WY1CP

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 14, 2023

Vivek Ramaswamy

In February this year, American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy announced his bid to gain the Republican nomination. The 37-year-old is an ex-biotechnology executive and hedge fund partner who rose to prominence in right-wing circles by lambasting corporate efforts to boost social, political, and environmental causes. Ramaswamy was born in Cincinnati to Indian immigrant parents and graduated from Harvard College with a bachelor's degree in biology. The Indian-American young blood was praised by Trump himself. "I am pleased to see that Vivek Ramaswamy is doing so well in the most recent Republican Primary Poll, CBS YouGov," Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social in May. 

We’ve celebrated our “diversity” so much that we forgot all the ways we’re really the same as Americans, bound by ideals that united a divided, headstrong group of people 250 years ago. I believe deep in my bones those ideals still exist. I’m running for President to revive them. pic.twitter.com/bz5Qtt4tmm

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) February 22, 2023

Hirsh Vardhan Singh 

Indian-American politician from New Jersey, Hirsh Vardhan Singh announced his candidacy last month. The 38-year-old businessman-turned-politician sought the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election by calling himself a “pure blood" candidate. The self-proclaimed “life-long Republican” ran for the office of the Governor of New Jersey in 2017. According to the New Jersey Globe, Singh also ran for US Senate and Congress in 2018, U.S. Senate in 2020, and governor in 2021, but never made it out of the Republican primaries. 

In his campaign message, the New Jersey politician called himself a “pure-blooded” candidate since he did not take any COVID vaccines. He recalled Democratic politicians from New Jersey have labelled him “Trump on Steroids”. “Today I am the only pure-blood candidate for the president because I never gave into the COVID vaccination. Even New Jersey’s democrat politicians labelled me the ‘Trump on steroids,’” Singh asserted in his speech. “It's time to move past outdated politicians of the bygone era, I have the energy and technical know-how. To lead America to the future we deserve,” he concluded.

I'm entering the race for President.https://t.co/OEHCSYOdvK pic.twitter.com/RyxW4sKMSW

— Hirsh Vardhan Singh (@HirshSingh) July 27, 2023

Overall, Indian-origin politicians are touted as the new face of a diverse GOP. It will be interesting to see how these candidates will manage to navigate the evangelical Christian electorate, which forms the major religious group for the party. As Trump and Biden navigate through their share of legal battles, what the future holds for these candidates is still unknown.