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However polarised the United States presidential elections may have become, one thing that remains common across the aisles is the profound visibility of people with roots here in India.

Be it Usha Vance, the wife of the running mate of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump be it Vivek Ramaswamy, whom Trump has promised a seat in his administration and be it Kamala Harris herself, the Democratic candidate all of them are Indian Americans.

When JD Vance’s name was declared as Trump’s running mate, reports about his wife soon took over the internet.

It was also revealed how Usha’s Hindu faith had helped Vance navigate his own spiritual and professional journey.

JD Vance, in his bestselling 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy, writes how he is deeply influenced by his wife.

"She instinctively understood the questions I didn't even know to ask, and she always encouraged me to seek opportunities that I didn't know existed."

Usha was born in 1986 to Hindu parents who migrated from the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

In a 2020 interview, JD Vance even said, “I'm one of those guys who really benefits from having sort of a powerful female voice over his left shoulder saying, 'Don't do that do that.'"

Indian roots of Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris, who is hoping to become the first-ever female president of the US, is herself of Indian origin.

Her ancestral village in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu erupted in joy in 2020 for the first time when she became the vice president of the US.

Kamala Harris’ mother Shyamala Gopalan moved to the US to pursue graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

Then, Shyamala happened to marry Donald Harris, Kamala’s father.

"My mother, grandparents, aunts and uncle instilled us with pride in our South Asian roots Our classical Indian names harked back to our heritage, and we were raised with a strong awareness of and appreciation for Indian culture," Kamala wrote in her 2019 memoir.

Vivek Ramaswamy
Then there is the Indian origin ‘outsider’ who has left an impression on voters on both sides of the aisle Vivek Ramaswamy.

Emerged as a culture warrior, Vivek has earned the reputation of being an anti-establishment and a family man.

Ramaswamy made his fortune in biotech and asset management businesses.

His net worth, according to Forbes, is at least $630 million.

Indian voters
The India connection to US elections is deepened by the presence of a large Indian diaspora on American soil, wielding significant influence in some counties.

Indians are known for participating in the voting exercise in large numbers. In 2020, the turnout of Indian voters was 71 per cent, the biggest among Asian communities.

Indian Americans are the second-largest immigrant group in the US now, with over 5.2 million people of Indian origin residing in the US.