Usha Vans, wife of J.D. Vance, the 39-year-old Republican candidate for Vice President and U.S. Federal Senator, has been confirmed as Indian-American, drawing renewed attention to the growing influence of Indian-Americans in the United States. Indian-Americans have not only increased significantly in population but also hold key positions in politics, business, and other major sectors, potentially shaping the course of America. According to U.S. media on the 16th local time, Usha Vans, daughter of Indian immigrants, graduated with top honors from Yale University and worked as a judicial clerk assisting Chief Justice John Roberts at the Federal Supreme Court, and until recently, she practiced law at the prominent firm 'Munger, Tolles & Olson.' Congressman Vance has repeatedly emphasized that his wife has been his greatest supporter since they met at Yale Law School, stating in his memoirs, 'She instinctively understood questions I didn't even know to ask, and always encouraged me to pursue opportunities I didn't realize existed.'

Recently, the rise of Indian-American figures within the Republican Party has been particularly notable. In the Republican presidential primaries, Nikki Haley, the 52-year-old former U.N. Ambassador who competed with Donald Trump until the end, became a symbolic figure of the 'anti-Trump camp' within the party. Also, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (38), who withdrew early in the primaries, is of Indian descent. Former South Carolina Governor and U.N. Ambassador Haley was born into an immigrant Sikh family from Punjab, India. Originally named Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, she converted to Christianity after her 1996 marriage but has proudly maintained her Indian identity by attending Sikh religious ceremonies. Similarly, second-generation Indian-American Ramaswamy majored in biology at Harvard University, graduated from Yale Law School, and became a millionaire by founding the biotech company Roivant Sciences. After withdrawing from the primaries, he actively supported former President Trump and is speculated to assume key cabinet positions if Trump returns to power."

Not only within the Republican Party, but also currently within the Democratic Party, Kamala Harris (59), the Vice President who follows President Joe Biden, is of Indian descent. She was born to a Jamaican immigrant father and an Indian mother, making history as the first female Vice President in U.S. constitutional history. Vice President Harris rose to national prominence after serving as District Attorney of San Francisco and Attorney General of California, before being elected to the U.S. Senate from California in 2017. She entered the national stage and, after initially challenging in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries before withdrawing, was chosen as Joe Biden's running mate just before the 2020 Democratic National Convention. She has served as Vice President for over three and a half years. According to a report by The New York Times (NYT) last year, in addition to Vice President Harris, there are also Indian-American members of the U.S. House of Representatives such as Ro Khanna (California - Democrat), Pramila Jayapal (Washington - Democrat), Raja Krishnamoorthi (Illinois - Democrat), Ami Bera (California - Democrat), and Sri Kulkarni (Michigan - Democrat). There are around 50 Indian-American politicians serving in various state legislatures across the country.

(KBS NEWS 2024.07.17)