Voters of South Asian origin are backing a rising Democratic star, James Talarico, in his bid to win a Senate seat in Texas, one of the most staunchly Republican states in the November midterm elections, and the party’s gubernatorial nominee, Gina Hinojosa, amid rising complaints of anti-Indian sentiment in the United States (US), a survey has found.

As many as 63% of respondents preferred Hinojosa over incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who is backed by 27%, the survey by the non-profit South Asian American Voter Empowerment of Texas Education Fund (SAAVETX EF) and the University of California San Diego found.

The survey sampled 1,000 South Asians living in Texas and was fielded in October 2026, before being released on Wednesday. The South Asian support for Democratic candidates remains steady. The survey found that as many as 65% of South Asian voters in Texas voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election compared to 25% for President TrumpIn the November 3 midterm election, the race between Talarico and his Republican opponent Ken Paxton is one of the closest in the country, which makes South Asian American support important.

A victory for Talarico will be a rebuke to Trump and his party.

Texas is a crucial battleground state in the midterm election, which will determine control of the US Congress for the next two years. Republicans hold majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Trump’s public approval rating has neared a record low ahead of the polls amid the high cost of living and the Iran war.

Roughly 2 million Asian-Americans account for 6% of Texas’s population. Indian-Americans account for approximately 550,000 of that number. The survey also found a rising experience of racism among minorities.

Nearly 60% of respondents reported at least one experience of hate over the past year because of their race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, accent, or immigration background, including online harassment, threats of violence, and damage to property or places of worship. In addition, 64% of the respondents said they “frequently or sometimes” heard South Asians or immigrants described as “invaders” or “outsiders” over the preceding two years. Many respondents do not feel fully accepted in Texas, with only 34% saying South Asians are completely or mostly accepted in the state.

Protesters gathered outside Frisco’s Karya Siddhi Hanuman temple last November with signs reading “Don’t India My Texas”, while a 90-foot statue of Hanuman in Sugar Land, near Houston, has drawn attacks from Republicans, including a US Senate candidate who asked why Texas was allowing a false statue of a “false Hindu god”.Republican US Representative Brandon Gill has said communities like Frisco have been “totally transformed” and that the US does not need to “import 7-Eleven workers from India”.

Bo French, the party’s nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, sparked a major controversy in September by sharing a photo of University of Texas students, seemingly of South Asian descent, cheering at a football game as evidence of “how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners”.US Senator John Cornyn, a Republican, condemned the post as racist.

This climate has had an impact. Only 31% of the survey respondents felt totally comfortable expressing their South Asian identity in Texas. Roughly 58% expressed a variety of concerns about doing so.

Some agreed with the statement that they were proud of their culture but were careful about expressing it publicly, while others felt being visibly South Asian made them a target. Despite their growing numbers, 54% of South Asian respondents in Texas believed their community holds “little or no political power,” and 64% said elected officials did not understand their community’s concerns. These feelings do not appear to have had a discernible impact on the respondents’ determination to participate in the political process.

Around 50% of them felt increased motivation to vote in the midterm elections.“We belong here. We are Texans. We are raising families, building businesses, contributing to our communities, and participating in the civic life of this state,” said SAAVETX EF founder and executive director Chanda Parbhoo.

Parbhoo added the survey shows a painful gap between identifying as Texan and feeling accepted… “SAAVETX EF understands the unique challenges of organising in the American South. Our community is tired of being treated as outsiders and used as political pawns.”

Parbhoo said when elected officials and candidates fuel hostility, people feel less safe and less confident in the institutions meant to protect them. “Candidates and elected leaders cannot afford to overlook our community. South Asian Texans deserve to be heard, represented, and able to participate in our democracy without fear.”