Vasant Bhatt says his parents are concerned about his safety after he became an online target following his announcement of support for Democratic candidate James Talarico.
The Texas midterm took an interesting turn after 21-year-old Vasant Bhatt , a student at the University of Houston, urged the Indian-American community to reject the hatred against India and Hinduism and vote for Democrat James Talarico against Ken Paxton. On October 19, Bhatt announced that he cast his ballot for James Talarico.
“This election is about the kind of state and country we are prepared to defend—and the principles we refuse to surrender,” he added. Bhatt, who identified with conservative politics so far, was mocked online and asked to go back to India. MAGA activists defended their India-hatred, making Bhatt an example of how Indian-origin people who are US citizens by birth take the side of Indian-Americans and consider themselves Indian despite being born in the US. Bhatt was dropped from a conservative news website, Campus Reform, after his viral social media post. “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,” he explained the reason and then urged every eligible Texan to go out and vote. He tagged Talarico’s team and Texas Democrats in his post.
Texas saw historic turnout in the early voting, with more than 4.5 million voters already having cast their ballots. The sixth poll, from Fox News, puts both candidates at 49 percent. Kalshi traders gave Talarico a 65 percent chance of winning on Monday, and the site’s margin market points to a win of about 2.2 points. Polymarket had Talarico at 64 percent.
In five of six public polls released over the past week, Talarico leads Paxton.