Datanomics: Indian-Americans deepen their US political engagement

The midterm elections in the US are taking place during President Donald Trump’s second term. This election cycle is significant, with at least 56 Indian-Americans contesting for various positions, ranging from the US Senate to local offices. The estimated number of eligible Indian-American voters has increased from 2.3 million in 2012 to 4.2 million in 2025. Their share of the total eligible US electorate has also grown from 1 per cent to 1.6 per cent. Indian-Americans also participate in campaign financing. Total political donations by the community, covering contributions to presidential and congressional candidates as well as political action committees, rose from $44 million in 2012 to $121 million in 2020, before declining to $104 million in 2022. Despite this increase, their contributions accounted for a relatively small share of total political donations, ranging from 0.9 per cent to 1.2 per cent during this period. The number of Indian-American political donors more than doubled, rising from 16,280 in 2012 to 42,911 in 2020, before declining to 30,759 in 2022. California, New York, and Texas accounted for the largest shares of political donations from Indian-Americans.