Prominent Indian-Americans among 1,100 officials, business leaders endorsing Biden-Harris
New York: As the race to the White House enters its final lap, over 1,100 prominent members of the Asian-American community, including Indian-American elected officials, artists, business and community leaders have endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris.
The list of the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) endorsing Biden for President and Harris for Vice President includes prominent Indian-Americans who are serving as elected officials as well as those from the fields of healthcare, business, and arts.
The 1,100 signatories represent AAPI leaders from all backgrounds and ethnicities across the country and build on the previous list of 250 AAPI endorsers that was released in July 2020.
Never before has the AAPI community banded together with such unity and excitement in a presidential election, said Democratic National Committee (DNC) AAPI Caucus Chair Bel Leong-Hong, who organized the list.
We are made up of almost 20 different ethnic groups, yet are united in our resounding support for Biden and Harris to lead our country and the world out of the mess (President Donald) Trump has created.
Leong-Hong said the people on the list come from all walks of life with different languages, cultures, and heritage, but we share the same hopes and dreams for a better future.
The list of more than 1,100 supporters includes prominent members of the Democratic Party, including the DNC and the AAPIs for Biden Coalition, which is made up of more than 14 affinity groups, including South Asians for Biden.
Among the prominent Indian-origin endorsers are Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi and Ami Bera, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Former Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia in US Department of State Nisha Desai Biswal, Chair of Maryland Democratic Party AAPI Leadership Council Devang Shah, Chair of Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia (DAAV) Praveen Meyyan, Assemblymember Ash Kalra of California State Assembly.
Candidate for US House of Representatives Sri Kulkarni, Former CEO of Democratic National Committee Seema Nanda, Chair of Howard County, Maryland Democratic Party AAPI Caucus Dhaval Shah, Vice-Chair of Fairfax County, Virginia Democratic Committee Manisha Singh, Chair of Monmouth County, New Jersey Democrats South Asian Caucus Ritesh Shah are also in the list.
It also includes former Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor in the Office of the US Surgeon General Parag Mehta and community leaders India Heritage Group Founder Parag Parikh, President of Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin Jay Bhandari and Co-founder and Board Chair, Desis for Progress Nisha Ramachandran.
Meanwhile, the Biden campaign on Saturday released a star-studded video of prominent AAPI personalities voicing their support for Biden and Harris, urging Americans to vote for everything that matters.
The 60-second video features Indian-American television host and author Padma Lakshmi, who urges people to vote for our children" and actor and producer Mindy Kaling, who says it's going to take all of us.
The celebrities join Harris in saying: When we vote, things change. When we vote, we win.
The video features actor Aasif Mandvi, actors Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, George Takei, Kumail Nanjiani, and Lucy Liu among others.
We may have our feet in two cultures but America is our home, the video says.
Dennis Cheng, a senior advisor for the Biden campaign, was quoted by The New York Times as saying, We're extremely proud of our micro-targeted messaging and individualized outreach to the AAPI community, so that we not only feel represented in the campaign but also empowered and inspired to be a part of it.
Biden, 77, and his running mate Harris are challenging Republican incumbents, President Trump, 74, and Vice President Mike Pence in the November 3 US presidential election.
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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