|
 But some Indian-American Democrats from the region have told
Reuters they won’t be attending the event, in part because they are
upset about the way a candidate was treated in a 2014 race for a
Silicon Valley congressional seat. Their frustration extends to
other Democratic candidates and causes besides Clinton, who wasn’t
involved in the race, but ignoring her campaign is a high-profile
way to vent.
Supporters of the candidate, Ro Khanna, an intellectual-property
lawyer of South Indian heritage, accuse his opponent, fellow
Democrat Mike Honda, of using race-baiting to undermine Khanna.
Honda narrowly beat out Khanna, a former trade official in President
Barack Obama's administration, in the election for a seat in the
House of Representatives.
Just weeks before the election, Honda attacked Khanna in a
television ad for supporting “companies that send our jobs
overseas.” In the same ad, a shadow briefly appeared on Khanna’s
forehead that some Khanna supporters interpreted as a bindi, a red
dot worn by many Indians but not by Khanna.
Khanna’s supporters point out that in 2012 he published a book on
the importance of U.S. manufacturing jobs, and they say that the
shadow was an attempt to spark unease among non-Indians. They say
the Democratic Party should have intervened to stop what they saw as
unfair attacks.
Honda spokesman Adam Alberti says Khanna’s financial backers
included supporters of outsourcing, and no dot was placed, or is
visible, on Khanna’s forehead in the ad in question.
“The issue of racial baiting is both unfounded and is shallow
political theater,” said Alberti, adding that as a Japanese-American
who was held in an internment camp as a baby during World War II,
Honda is especially committed to racial diversity. In March, Honda
co-hosted a networking and fundraising event for “Ready for
Clinton,” the organization that sought to draft Clinton to run for
president.
Among those who say they aren’t going to Monday’s Clinton
fundraiser, or getting involved in other Democratic campaigns out of
concern at Khanna’s treatment, is Rahul Roy, a software
entrepreneur. “It hurts,” he says. Roy recently hosted a fundraiser
for Khanna, who is running for the seat again in 2016.
The Clinton campaign says it is concentrating on the large numbers
of Indian Americans that back her. "Hillary Clinton is grateful for
the broad support she is receiving across the Indian-American and
Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities in California and
around the country," a spokesman said. He did not respond to
questions from Reuters about the disquiet over the 2014 election.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
Certainly Clinton has been raising funds in Silicon Valley, where
donations to her and an organization raising money on her behalf
from area technology employees have totaled $1.07 million through
June 30, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
[to top of second column] |
And some Khanna supporters are raising money for her. Monday’s
Clinton fundraiser - which she is due to attend in person - is being
hosted in their home by Khanna supporters Kamil Hasan, a venture
capitalist, and his wife Talat Hasan, an entrepreneur. Tickets start
at $1,000, and it is expected to attract at least 150 donors,
according to a person familiar with the event.
Khanna’s supporters have shown a largesse that any presidential
candidate would want to tap into. He has raised $1.25 million
through June 30, far more than most congressional candidates, and
more than double the $608,000 raised by Honda.
“Some of the attacks were very xenophobic,” said Naren Gupta, a
Khanna donor and co-founder of investment firm Nexus Ventures, who
said the party should have stepped in. He stopped short of saying
the issue would affect his support for other Democratic candidates.
He is not expected at the Hasan fundraiser, according to the person
familiar with the event.
Gupta is also co-chairman of the Indo-American Community of the West
Coast, which is helping organize Modi’s appearance before a capacity
crowd of 18,000 at the SAP Center in San Jose on Sunday.
Other donors, like Facebook millionaire turned venture capitalist
Chamath Palihapitiya, think Khanna should have hit back harder.
“You’ve got to be willing to take the gloves off and fight,” said
Palihapitya, who donated $2,600 to Khanna in the last race and said
he planned to support him again this time. He hasn’t made up his
mind about who he might support in the presidential race, he said.
Through spokesman Hari Sevugan, Khanna took credit for bringing many
South Asians and technology workers into the political arena for the
first time. Now, many of those recruits feel alienated, the
spokesman said. Khanna himself didn’t comment directly on the 2014
race or its fallout, but in an email said Indian Americans feel
strongly about social justice, and the Democratic Party “needs to do
a better job recognizing that.”
(Reporting by Sarah McBride; Editing by Martin Howell)
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In
Silicon Valley, some Indian Americans shun Clinton after election row
