ABSTRACT
Will South Asian Americans, particularly those who identify as Hindu, vote for a Hindu candidate who is not South Asian? This research question was generated by the 2012 election victory for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), who was the first Hindu elected to Congress, although she is half-White, half-Samoan. To examine this question, I administered an Internet survey to South Asian Americans. Respondents were asked their likelihood of support for one of three fictional, female candidates – an Indian-American Hindu; a White Hindu; and an Indian-American Muslim. The findings suggest that ethnicity is the most important cue for South Asian American voters and they are more likely to vote for an Indian-American candidate, regardless of religion, than a White candidate.
