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The 2020 US presidential bid of first Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris has thrilled the Indian-American community which considers the "groundbreaking" announcement a "proud moment" and a reflection that Indian-Americans have “finally arrived.”
Harris (54) officially launched her campaign for the US presidential election in 2020 to take on President Donald Trump on Monday 21 January, saying she was "honoured" to announce her bid on a day when Americans celebrated Martin Luther King Jr who sought inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi.
A rising party star and vocal critic of President Trump, Harris is the fourth Democrat to join the battle for the party's nomination in the next year's elections.
After becoming the high-profile Senator from California, Harris, whose mother Shyamala Gopalan migrated from Tamil Nadu to the US as a young student for higher studies, has maintained a distance from the Indian-American community, which has felt proud of her accomplishments.
Indian-Americans constitute one percent of the American population and are one of the fastest growing minorities in the country.
While it's too early to say on the results of the grilling presidential primary that would conclude with the Democratic National Convention in July 2020, the Indian-American community leaders said, Harris, who is of mixed parental heritage from India and the Caribbean has a fair and clear shot at the White House.
Indian-American Impact Fund, a political action committee that supports Indian-American candidates, said it was "thrilled" by Senator Harris' "groundbreaking" announcement.
Eminent Indian-American Frank Islam, who was closely associated with the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016, said Harris will be a formidable challenger.
Apart from expressing their happiness, Indian Americans also schooled others on how to pronounce ‘Kamala.’
(With inputs from PTI.)
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