NATIONAL

Bhutoria mobilizes South Asians to boost Kamala's campaign

Thursday, 05 Sep, 2024
Elections are a choice, and the choice between turning the page toward the future with Vice President Harris or going backward with Trump will be on full display at the September 10 presidential debate. We are ready to do the work, to organize and mobilize, and to win this race. (Photo provided by Ajay Bhutoria)

New York: Ajay Bhutoria, National community leader, Deputy National finance chair of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), and a key supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris, recently met a gathering of Asian and South Asian Harris supporters to discuss the state of the race, with a focus on volunteering and organizing efforts in battleground states. Bhutoria emphasized the critical importance of connecting with Asian and South Asian voters in multiple languages to ensure broad-based support for Harris in the upcoming election.  

“Vice President Harris is running for the future and to turn the page on the division of Donald Trump," Bhutoria said. "Americans are energized behind that message. Since Vice President Harris entered the race in late July, our campaign has seen record fundraising numbers, a surge in volunteer interest, and a spike in enthusiasm to participate in this November’s election."

Bhutoria acknowledged the challenges ahead but remained optimistic about Harris’s ability to build a broad, diverse coalition. "Make no mistake: we head into the final stretch of this race as the clear underdogs. Donald Trump has a motivated base of support, but Vice President Harris is running on a popular agenda that matters to voters at the ballot box. Every day, she proves she is the candidate with the vision, the grit, and the infrastructure to win this race."

He highlighted Harris's focus on issues that resonate with voters, such as economic policies that benefit the middle class and the protection of reproductive rights. "Vice President Harris comes to the job of president as someone acutely focused on the issues that matter to voters most when they get home from work at night. Her agenda reflects the values she grew up with in a middle-class household, and that’s why voters connect with her. Her steadfast support for reproductive rights is also a powerful piece of how we will expand our coalition and path to victory." 

Bhutoria also pointed to the campaign's operational strength, which has been bolstered by record fundraising and a robust presence in battleground states. "Since Vice President Harris entered the race, she’s raised more than $540 million - a historic sum. That money is going directly to a relentless battleground operation, with more than 312 coordinated offices and 2,000 staff in the states – a reflection of a campaign with presences in every corner of every battleground state and with the communities critical to victory."  Looking ahead, Bhutoria underscored the importance of continued outreach and voter mobilization, particularly among undecided voters who will ultimately decide the election. "The next 65 days will be incredibly close, and the voters who will decide this election will require an extraordinary amount of work to win over. But we have the candidate, message, and operation that brings Americans together to chart a new way forward, so we can once again defeat Donald Trump."

Bhutoria highlighted he will be releasing Bollywood music-based videos supporting to turn votes for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and his team is working on producing the videos. In the 2020 campaign, Bhutoria had done similar Bollywood-based campaign videos which went viral. "South Asian votes could be the margin of victory in battleground states and we will do everything we can to turn out the votes for Vice President Harris and Tim Walz," he said.