US Presidential elections: Obama and Romney campaigns reach out to Indian Americans

Washington: In a very close presidential election where every single vote counts, both the Barack Obama and Mitt Romney campaigns have been making a special effort to reach out to the Indian American community. The community, which numbers more than three million according to the latest census, is being reached through full page ads in local Indian American ethnic newspapers.

The Obama campaign has also developed flyers in Hindi which is being distributed either through email or being printed in large numbers by his supporters. "Barack Obama is not just a President for some of us; he is fighting for all of us," says a full page advertisement placed by the Obama Campaign in 'India This Week' and 'Express India' which are published from the Greater Washington Area; that has one of the largest concentration of Indian-Americans in Washington, Maryland and Virginia. According to 2010 Census, more than 125,000 Indian Americans live in this area.

The Northern California Asian Pacific Islanders Americans placed another full page ad in the India West - an Indian American daily from the West Coast in support of Mitt Romney. "Ready to Go to Work. Vision for a better America. Vote Mitt Romney for President. Promising all my heart to restore strength to America. We will be strong again," said the ad.

The community, which numbers more than three million according to the latest census, is being reached through full page ads.

Similarly, the 80-20 National Asian American PAC has placed full page advertisement in India Abroad newspaper: the most widely circulated and most prestigious Indian-American ethnic newspaper in the US. Arguing that Obama is the first US President to have done so much for the Asian-American community, the 80-20 National Asian American PAC for the past few weeks through their full page ads have been urging Indian-Americans to vote for Obama.

In its flyer translated in Hindi, the Obama campaign lists out its achievements for the Asian American community and lashes out at Mitt Romney and his policies. The Hindi flyer argues that Obama has more than doubled the number of Asian American federal judges. Obama appointed unprecedented number of (four) Asian American Cabinet members Steven Chu (Energy Secretary), Gary Locke (the former Commerce Secretary), Eric Shinseki (Secretary of veterans Affairs) and Chris Lu (the Cabinet Secretary).

According to the 2010 census, the tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have the largest concentration of Indian Americans in the US. More than half a million Indian Americans live here. According to a recent poll conducted by the National Asian American Survey, an overwhelming majority of Indian Americans support Obama. The new poll conducted among 86 Indian Americans between September 21 and October 13, reported that 64 per cent of Indian Americans are for Obama, eight per cent support Romney, and while 27 per cent is still undecided.

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