Vasant Bhatt, an Indian American described as a conservative, has announced that he will vote for Democrat James Talarico in the upcoming Texas Senate election. Bhatt said he made the decision amid growing incidents of racism and xenophobia in the state, often targeting Indian Americans.
“As a second-generation Indian American, I am thoroughly disgusted by the xenophobia, racial resentment, and increasingly brazen attacks on my identity. My family has contributed to the American story through hard work, sacrifice, and an unwavering belief in the opportunities this nation promises. I am every bit as American as anyone else, and I will not tolerate being treated as a perpetual foreigner in the country I call home,” Bhatt said on X.
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“I implore every eligible Texan to get out and vote. This election is about the kind of state and country we are prepared to defend—and the principles we refuse to surrender,” Bhatt added.
The announcement comes ahead of the November general election, in which Talarico will face Republican Ken Paxton. Texas has not elected a Democrat to statewide office since 1994. Political analysts have noted that the matchup will test whether moderate and independent voters are alienated by the shift toward the political right or whether Texas will maintain its longstanding Republican dominance.
Bhatt has been identified as a “conservative” on social media and has previously said on X that he “spent years involved in Republican politics.”
“I spent years involved in Republican politics. I stuck my neck out for this party, bent over backwards defending it, worked on campaigns, and stood by people even when doing so wasn’t particularly easy. I genuinely believed in what I was doing. I wasn’t pretending to be a conservative, and I certainly wasn’t involved in Republican politics because I had nothing better to do with my time. I gave that movement a great deal of my energy because I believed there was a place for me in it,” Bhatt said in an X post.
Another post also identified Bhatt as a former intern for Sen. Ted Cruz.
Bhatt’s shift in political stance comes amid an increasingly polarized environment surrounding immigration and racism. He also mentioned Bo French, a Republican politician who faced criticism for his comments about South Asian students celebrating a football victory.
French, who had previously called for the deportation of 100 million immigrants, shared a photo of students of South Asian descent cheering the Longhorns’ victory and said the scene showed “how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners.”
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He also shared the same photo in a separate post, writing, “I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.”
French faced criticism over the posts from both Republicans and Democrats.