A survey found one in four South Asian Americans who backed Trump plan to vote Democratic in the midterms. Their shift could prove decisive in closely contested states.

At least one in four South Asian Americans who voted for US President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election plan to support Democratic candidates in the November 3 midterm elections, according to a survey reported by news agency Press Trust of India.

The survey, conducted by advocacy group Indian American Impact, found that the cost of living was the leading concern for 65 per cent of respondents, followed by healthcare at 53 per cent, jobs and wages at 33 per cent, and education at 28 per cent.

The survey covered 800 registered South Asian voters. Indian-Americans made up 87 per cent of the respondents, while the remaining 13 per cent included people of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Nepali, Bhutanese, Maldivian, Afghan, Khmer and Burmese origin.

Among those who voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, 96 per cent said they planned to vote for a Democratic candidate in the upcoming polls. Of the South Asian Americans who voted for Trump, 67 per cent continued to support Republican candidates, while 25 per cent said they would vote for Democrats.

According to PTI, the findings come as early voting has begun in several states, including Texas, where Democratic nominee James Talarico is in a close contest against Republican Ken Paxton, who is backed by Trump.

Vasant Bhatt, a 21-year-old second-generation Indian-American who interned with Senator Ted Cruz's election campaign in 2024, said in a social media post that he had voted for Talarico.

"I just cast my ballot for James Talarico. As a second-generation Indian American, I am thoroughly disgusted by the xenophobia, racial resentment, and increasingly brazen attacks on my identity," Bhatt wrote.

The survey also highlighted concerns about discrimination. Ninety per cent of registered voters said they had experienced discrimination or knew someone who had, while 48 per cent said they had personally faced it.

"It comes as no surprise that a quarter of Trump's 2024 voters in our community plan to vote Democratic. This community can make the margin, and we are working to reach every voter who can," Chintan Patel, executive director of Indian American Impact, said in a statement cited by PTI.

The survey found that 16 per cent of respondents had not voted in any general election since 2020. Overall, 78 per cent believed their vote could bring about change, while 79 per cent felt elected officials quickly lost touch with ordinary people.

Another 67 per cent said public officials did not care about the views of people like them, and 43 per cent felt they had no say in government decisions.

The findings also pointed to the potential importance of South Asian American voters in closely contested states. Michigan has about 187,000 South Asian residents, and nearly 30,000 registered South Asian voters did not vote in 2022. This was more than the roughly 19,000-vote margin that decided the state's 2024 Senate race.

Texas has more than 700,000 South Asian residents, while nearly 100,000 registered South Asian voters in the state did not vote in 2022. The Indian-American community also has a strong presence in California, New Jersey, New York, Washington, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

In battleground states such as Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina, a shift of even one or two per cent of the vote could influence the outcome. The survey indicates that South Asian American voters, including some who backed Trump in 2024, could play a significant role in the midterm elections.