Do People Vote for Candidates Who Look Like Them?

There have been several studies in the past that found people tend to prefer going to doctors who share their same ethnic background. This doesn't seem to be true when it comes to politics, as an interesting article from TIME magazine points out this week by focusing on politicians of Indian origin who are part of the Presidential race of 2024. The South Asian community is anything but aligned when it comes to Kamala Harris, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy:

"Neither Harris nor Haley nor Ramaswamy are likely to supercharge voting among South Asians or even Indian Americans the way Barack Obama did with Black voters."

While the diaspora may not be united behind a single candidate, political experts expect that the inclusion of these diverse candidates may get more of the community to participate in the process and will have a positive long term effect on young South Asian people who now see political careers as possibilities. Whether you like the candidates or not, the positive ripple effect that their experiences could create may take years to show up … but when it does it will be worth watching.