Indian-Americans donate more to Democrats than Republicans: Study

Houston: Indian-Americans overwhelmingly favour Democratic candidates, contributing nearly three times more to their campaigns than to Republicans, a new study shows.

The research, titled “An Emerging Lobby: An Analysis of Campaign Contributions from Indian-Americans (1998–2022),”was conducted by Karnav Popat and Vishnu Prakash of Ashoka University, along with Joyojeet Pal of the University of Michigan.

Study, released in September 2025, analyzed two decades of political donations using Federal Election Commission data compiled by OpenSecrets.

During the 2020 presidential election cycle, Indian-Americans donated USD 46.6 million to Democratic candidates compared to USD 16.3 million to Republican candidates. In 2016, only 0.6 per cent of Indian-American contributions went to then-President Donald Trump’s campaign.

The study found that Indian-Americans’ contributions are concentrated in sectors such as technology, finance, healthcare, and academia, enhancing their political visibility.

Indian-Americans now number over 4.9 million, with six elected to Congress in the 2024 elections.

While the study does not cover the 2024 cycle, it underscores the community’s growing political engagement and consistent preference for Democratic candidates.