Kamala Harris’ sister kickstarts Diwali celebrations in swing state

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — While campaigning for the Harris-Walz campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris’ sister Maya Harris stopped by a Diwali party in this western swing state to celebrate one of the biggest Hindu festivals, a little more than a week before Election Day.

Maya Harris spoke to about 100 supporters about her late mother, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1958 at the age of 19.

At the time, “it was virtually unheard of for a young woman to travel that distance on her own,” said Harris, describing her mother as “fierce,” and “courageous.”

“She came to this country alone (but) she wasn’t alone,” the vice president’s sister said.

Harris visited with Indian Americans in Arizona to try to mobilize this group of voters, who are the second-largest immigrant voting bloc in the U.S. With razor-thin margins in this year’s presidential contest, both parties have increasingly attempted to court Indian American voters, especially in swing states like Arizona.

What did Maya Harris say at Diwali Party

Maya Harris recalled her mother teaching her and her sister an important lesson through lived experiences, a phrase that the vice president also often uses, “We all have so much more in common than what separates us.”

“We can have different experiences, but the thing that really does bind us all together is a desire to be free, to fulfill our God-given potential,” she said. “Kamala is someone who is fighting for an inclusive democracy where, no matter who you are or where you come from, you have opportunities that you deserve.”

South Asians for Harris Arizona co-director Simi Singh hosted the Diwali get-together on Friday evening in Scottsdale. The smell of marigold flowers, known to bring good luck and fortune in the Hindu culture, filled the courtyard to mark the celebration of good over evil.

“It’s been a hot and laborious month,” said Singh in a post on Instagram. “Not sure how I went from dreaming about absolutely ensuring that VP Kamala Harris would win my state of Arizona, to welcoming her sister to my front door. That’s the miracle of this movement. Show up and do something,” she said.

Priyanca Kotwal, an attendee, told the Deseret News that she felt “moved” by Harris’ words, adding that her mother’s story is relatable to many Indian American families. Everyone in attendance was dressed to the nines in saris, kurtas and “big smiles,” she said.

White House hosts a Diwali party

Singh said in a text message Monday that she was invited to President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden’s White House Diwali party, a tradition marked by several modern presidencies, including that of George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

The White House embraced the spirit of Diwali this year with traditional live music, diyas or oil lamps, and marigold flowers.

During the programming, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Hallegere Murthy grew emotional as he spoke about his family who immigrated to the U.S. and persevered through hardships when he was young.

“I know the darkness can sometimes feel overwhelming, I know that. I felt that myself,” he said. “I have also seen people creating” during the hardest of times, and that is the message of Diwali, he said.

Attendees also saw a video message from Sunita “Suni” Williams, an Indian American astronaut. She recorded her Diwali greetings as she travels 17,500 miles per hour on the International Space Station, while experiencing 16 sunrises and sunsets each day.

In his remarks, Biden praised the Indian Americans in his administration, including Harris and Murthy, both the first of South Asian descent to hold their offices. He called Harris “smart,” “tough” and trusted,” saying she has more experience than “the other guy,” former President Donald Trump.

Polls show Harris and Trump are practically tied in Arizona and other swing states, and every vote counts. A large majority of Indian Americans were loyal to the Democratic Party, but that is shifting, according to the latest Carnegie Endowment for International Peace/YouGov survey.

For starters, 47% of respondents identified as Democrats this year, down from 56% in 2020, the survey said.

Six in 10 registered Indian American voters say they plan to vote for Harris while 32% say they will cast their ballot for Trump, up from 22% in 2020. The poll indicates inflation is the top concern for these voters.

As the Deseret News has previously reported, conservative Indian Americans often show appreciation for the Trump-era Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that offered business and corporations tax breaks.

Harris’ multiracial identity — she is half-Jamaican and half-Indian — often comes under scrutiny. As Rupa Subramanya, a writer for The Free Press noted in a post on X, Harris often talks about her mother’s story, but never her own connections to her Indian heritage.

“Her close relatives on her mother’s side flew in from India, and joined her on stage the evening she became Presidential candidate. Her first and middle names are Hindu names, same with her sister (Maya Lakshmi) and niece (Meena short for Meenakshi),” wrote Subramanya. “Yet, in this election she seems to have completely disowned her Indian/Hindu heritage and fully embraced her African American heritage which comes across as deeply inauthentic. Whatever you may think of Trump, he’s always been himself.”

The vice president will return to Phoenix on Thursday to hold a rally with Mexican band Los Tigres del Norte as a part of her campaign’s “When We Vote, We Win” tour. Supporters at her rally in Texas over the weekend heard from Beyoncé, and later this week, Harris will stand alongside Bruce Springsteen.