Indian-American Voters Show Strong Midterm Enthusiasm
Indian-American voters are displaying considerable enthusiasm ahead of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, while Democratic candidates have established a notable lead among the community, according to findings from the latest Asian American Voter Survey.
The national survey found that 92% of registered Indian-American voters expect to participate in the November elections. Within that group, 74% said they were completely certain they would vote, while another 23% said they were fairly certain. Indian Americans also recorded the biggest rise in enthusiasm among the major Asian ethnic groups included in the research.
About 43% of Indian-American respondents said they were more excited about voting than they normally would be. Meanwhile, 22% reported lower enthusiasm and 32% said their interest was roughly unchanged.
Democratic candidates held a substantial advantage in congressional preferences. For Senate races, 66% of Indian-American voters said they favored Democratic candidates, compared with 22% who preferred Republicans. Another 7% selected a different party. Among the Asian ethnic groups examined, Democratic Senate support ranged from 42% among Filipino voters to 66% among Indian Americans.
The pattern was similar in House contests. Democrats received the backing of 66% of Indian-American respondents, while 18% favored Republican candidates and 9% preferred another party. Among those who had selected a House candidate, 60% described their support as strong.
The survey also reflected generally unfavorable opinions of President Donald Trump within the Indian-American electorate. Seventy-four percent expressed an unfavorable view, including 56% who said their opinion was very unfavorable. In comparison, 20% viewed him favorably, with 7% holding a very favorable opinion.
Indian-American voters also showed a relatively strong preference for voting in person. Fifty-five percent expected to cast their ballots at polling locations, while 34% planned to vote by mail and 8% intended to use ballot drop-off sites.
Political involvement extended beyond elections. Three out of four Indian-American respondents said they had discussed politics with relatives or friends during the previous year. Additionally, 19% reported participating in a protest, march, demonstration or rally, while 20% had attended a local government meeting.
Among Asian-American and Pacific Islander voters overall, 90% said they planned to vote, up from 84% in 2022 and 86% in 2018. Inflation and the cost of living ranked as the dominant concern, with 90% describing the issue as very or extremely important when deciding their vote.
The survey included 2,066 registered voters and was conducted through telephone interviews, web surveys and online recruitment from June 3 through July 27. The study included 242 Indian-American respondents. Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote and AAPI Data conducted the research and estimate that 16 million AAPI citizens will be eligible to vote in 2026.
