Harris will get more female votes, ties with India expected to improve under her: US professor - World News Network

By Apoorva Kaul
Washington, DC [US], October 10 (ANI): With barely a month left for presidential elections in the United States, political science expert and University of Florida professor Sharon D Wright Austin says expectations are high that ties between India and the US will improve under Kamala Harris as President.
Vice President Harris is contesting the November 5 elections on a Democratic Party ticket against Republican Party candidate and former US President Donald Trump.
In an email interview with ANI, Professor Austin stated that trends indicate that Harris will receive more support from female voters, particularly women of colour. The Democratic presidential candidate, she noted is using a “wise strategy” to focus on the need for reproductive rights.
Austin compared Kamala Harris’ campaign with that of former Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton who lost out to Donald Trump in 2016 presidential election.
Asked about the impact of Kamala Harris making abortion a poll issue on the Democratic Party’s prospects, the US political expert said, “So far, all indications are that she will receive more support from female voters, especially Black female voters. She is using a wise strategy to focus on the need for reproductive rights, but she also has not followed the same strategy as Hillary Clinton.”
“Clinton focused heavily on her gender and the need to break the glass ceiling, but Harris seldom mentions gender or race. It’s a wise strategy because it’s obvious that she will be a historic candidate if she wins because of her race and gender. However, past elections have proven that heavy focuses on race and gender can backfire for minority and female candidates. That is why Harris only mentions race and gender when she has to,” Austin said.
Harris has made her position on the subject public announcing that she would “proudly” sign a bill to put back in place the protections of Roe v Wade if she becomes US president.
Former US President Trump’s selection of three justices of the apex court resulted in the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022 and opened the door for 22 states to impose abortion access restrictions.
The US professor said that many Indians will feel pride if Kamala Harris wins the presidency due to her Indian heritage. Harris, whose mother hailed from India while her father was Jamaican, is the first woman of colour and the first Asian American vice president.
Her parents had immigrated to the United States.
Asked where she sees ties between India and the US heading following the presidential polls, Sharon Austin stated, “I think that many Indians will feel a source of pride if Kamala Harris wins because of her Indian heritage. I also believe that there will be high expectations if she wins because it will be expected that Indian-US ties will improve under her administration.”
According to the US professor, the Indian-American population has achieved significant political success over the years. She also recalled that two Indian Americans made serious bids for the presidency.
Asked about Indian-Americans’ inclination in the upcoming US presidential elections, the professor said, “Indian voters still are a relatively small segment of the American electorate, but they vote at high rates for both Democratic and Republican candidates.”
She pointed out that foreign policy is important to US electors as it impacts things like the prices of gas and security in the country.
“Foreign policy is important to Americans because it impacts things like gas prices and our feelings of security. There is a fear that the events that are occurring in foreign countries could also occur here,” she said
Donald Trump has claimed that the US’ reputation as a global power has diminished under the Joe Biden administration. He has also criticised Biden administration’s handling of US forces withdrawal from Afghanistan.
According to the Florida University professor, Kamala Harris’ debate with Donald Trump did not cause a major shift in her poll prospects but helped people to understand a little more regarding her policies.
Austin noted, “Her debate performance didn’t cause a major shift in the polls, but it helped voters who knew little about her policies to learn more about her. That was very important in her quest to receive votes from independent voters.”
Harris appeared to dominate in the second presidential debate against Donald Trump, as the two sparred over multiple polarising issues ranging from abortion, illegal immigration and the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. The second presidential debate was hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia, in September.
Sharon Austin also spoke about the US being a politically polarised nation and called the assassination attempts on Trump “tragic and unfortunate.” She called for stricter gun control laws and more efforts to ensure public safety.
On the assassination attempts on Trump and what has led to this level of hatred and political violence in the US, the professor opined, “America remains a politically polarized country. The first shooter was a registered Republican and the second was an extremist with ties to the Democratic party.”
“The attempts were tragic and unfortunate, but Kamala Harris’ Arizona office was also the target of a shooting in which no one was injured. America needs stricter gun control laws and more efforts to ensure public safety. The attempts on Trump could’ve happened to any candidate,” she added.
Between July to September, two assassination attempts have been made on the life of Trump. He was the target of an attempted assassination at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in July. He faced a second assassination attempt in September and he was not injured in this encounter. (ANI)

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