Indian-American donors give Republicans big fundraising edge ahead of US midterms

Indian-American business leaders and entrepreneurs have given over $15.8 million to Republican Party-linked funds since 2025, giving Donald Trump's party a four-to-one fundraising advantage over Democrats ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections.

Key Donors

Venture capitalist Asha Jadeja Motwani emerged as the party's biggest Indian-American donor, giving an estimated $5.9 million to MAGA Inc and the Republican National Committee. Entrepreneur Michelle D'Souza contributed $4 million to MAGA Inc and more than $400,000 to the RNC. Other major Republican donors include Palantir chief technology officer Shyam Sankar with $1.9 million, while orthopaedic surgeon Anjani Sinha and retired medical professional Krishna Tripuraneni each donated $1 million. Florida businessman Ramalinga Mantena donated $886,000, and billionaire sports team owner Vivek Ranadive, tech entrepreneur Vipul Prakash, and Nvidia vice-president Sundeep Singh Madra added $750,000.

Democratic Funding

Democrats have attracted fewer big-money donors from the community. Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla contributed about $2.09 million to Democratic causes, including the Senate Majority PAC. His daughter, Anu Khosla, donated more than $250,000 to progressive groups, and veteran donor Shekar Narasimhan contributed about $309,400. The Democratic-aligned Impact Fund also raised more than $1 million from donors including Silicon Valley investor Sumir Chadha.

Context

This fundraising shift highlights a growing split among Indian-American donors, where wealthy tech and business leaders heavily back Republican political action committees while smaller donors continue supporting grassroots Democratic causes. Political contributions from prominent diaspora members play a major role in funding US congressional campaigns and party election machinery.