By NNN-Bernama,
Washington : Indian Americans supporting Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney are believed to have raised between US$15 to 20 million for his presidential campaign.
While Romney has not released any fundraising statistics from ethnic coalitions nor has it made public the list of its bundlers or exclusive Stars and Stripes members, the list of donors include over 200 prominent Indian Americans.
The Indian American Coalition was established in Nov 2011 by the Romney Campaign National Finance Committee chairman Spencer Zwick to recognise not only the individual donor but the larger community under a group identity, Press Trust of India reported.
Other ethnic coalitions that have featured in Romney campaign’s Finance Committee were the Jewish American coalition, Women’s coalition and Veteran’s Coalition, among others.
“An Indian American coalition in a presidential campaign’s National Finance Committee is new and historic. Such a decision of the Romney campaign has produced the desired results,” said Indian American supporters of the 65-year-old former governor of Massachusetts.
Sue Ghosh Stricklett, Stars & Stripes Member, Romney Finance Committee, said: “Everyone has contributed funds, bundled money or held an event that has raised a minimum US$1 million.
“They are unanimously supporting Mitt Romney for President because they believe that the country is on the wrong track and that their children’s economic future is at stake.
“They are also appalled by the incendiary anti-India rhetoric coming out of the Obama campaign with numerous ads attacking India for loss of American jobs due to outsourcing.”
One of the influential Republicans from Utah, Patel, joined the Romney campaign after John Huntsman, the former State Governor and US Ambassador to China, helped raise more than a US$1 million during the campaign.
“Republicans are much closer to India than the Democratic party. Romney would be much better president towards India,” said Sampat Shivangi, one of the three Indian American delegates at the Republican National Convention and a major fund raiser in Mississippi.
“In 2008, Indiana went to Obama but it is not going to happen in 2012,” said Raju Chintala, a Republican from Indiana and a bundler.
Stricklett said: “I can vouch for the fact that Mitt Romney is very appreciative of the immense contributions of Indian Americans to American, society. I can also assert that Governor Romney views India as a strategic partner of the US and he believes a close working relationship between the two countries is critical to peace and prosperity in Asia.”
An active member of the Indian American Coalition, Stricklett said that the Romney campaign’s objective is to get the coalition going and use the coalition into “dollar tracking” that can translate into an effective policy making during the Romney Administration “so that the Indian community has a voice”.
“The voice of this group would count in a big way, because they have something more to say than any other American business. This is our objective,” she said.