The 2024 presidential campaign has seen a significant increase in representation for individuals of South Asian descent. Usha Vance, the wife of Republican nominee JD Vance, is one such individual. She is a Yale graduate and the daughter of Indian immigrants, making her the fourth person of South Asian descent to be part of the 2024 presidential campaign.
The significance of this representation goes beyond just numbers. The increase in South Asian representation is seen as a phenomenal development by political activists who hope it will correspond with a push to connect with a previously overlooked voting bloc. In Georgia, for instance, the number of eligible Asian American voters exceeds the margin of victory in 2020.
JD Vance's ties to Silicon Valley are also noteworthy. As a former tech venture capitalist, he has close connections to the industry and its billionaires like Peter Thiel. His nomination for vice president is seen as a potential windfall for Silicon Valley, with tech VCs publicly supporting Trump and Vance in anticipation of tech-friendly policies under a second Trump presidency.
Despite these positive developments, there have been instances of political violence in the US since its early days. Former Republican governor Chris Christie has called on Donald Trump to rein in some of the worst rhetorical impulses of the Republican Party at its convention this week. Following an assassination attempt against Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally, Vance attributed the incident to Biden's anti-Trump rhetoric, which has been widely criticized as a flawed playbook that only further incites division.
JD Vance's memoir, 'Hillbilly Elegy,' has also become a political lightning rod in the 2024 presidential race. The book, which helped propel Vance to a national platform and eventually his role as an Ohio senator and now the Republican vice-presidential nominee, has been praised by some for offering insights into rural America while criticized by others for its perceived lack of understanding of the region.
