IADO congratulates America’s first South Asian American VP

Surendra Ullal

CHICAGO: Indo American Democratic Organization ( IADO) the oldest South Asian American political advocacy organization in the country, celebrated the historic 2020 presidential election with the definitive victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the next President and Vice President USA. Kamala Harris makes history as the first woman, South Asian, and African American elected as Vice President.

“The Vice President-elect is the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India. Her story and the story of her family is one of our country’s timeless testaments: we are a diverse, thriving nation of immigrants and communities,” said Susie Patel, IADO President. “I couldn’t be more proud to join my family and friends, especially my own young daughter, in watching Vice President Kamala Harris inaugurated this January.”

In 2020 alone, IADO endorsed 50+ candidates at every level of government, including Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for President and Vice President. IADO is committed to working with elected officials at every level of government to ensure consistent engagement with the South Asian American community and representing our community in public policymaking. 

While there continue to be rapidly evolving developments on vote totals from Election Day 2020, South Asian and Asian voters made historic strides in their participation. South Asian and Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic voting blocs in the country. According to the Indian American Impact Fund (IMPACT), in 2020 alone there will be more than 500,000 South Asian American voters in the battleground states of Florida, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. The number of Indian Americans in Congress has grown five-fold in just the past eight years.

According to the South Asian American Policy and Research Institute (SAAPRI), there are approximately 290,000 South Asians in the state of Illinois. From 2000 to 2010, South Asians were the fastest-growing ethnic groups in Illinois, growing at 55.6%.