Sri Kulkarni is Changing the Way Democrats Talk to Asian Americans

Sugar Land has all the trappings of American suburbia: upscale outdoor shopping centers, immaculate oak tree-lined streets, country clubs and sprawling subdivisions. But it also has something that is becoming more typically associated with suburbia: religious and ethnic diversity. Driving north on a short stretch of Brand Lane, which sits along the border between Sugar Land and Stafford, Texas, you first see the pristine Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple, its white marble gleaming in the August sun. Next, an Anglo church, followed soon by a South Indian church. And then, the bustling Masjid Al-Sabireen Islamic Center, where a constant stream of cars, pickup trucks and minivans pull into an overflowing parking lot for Friday afternoon prayer.

Finally, the street bleeds into Highway 90A, which also happens to be along the northeastern edge of the 22nd Congressional District, a gerrymandered blob that encompasses much of Houston’s expansive suburbia to the south and west, including Sugar Land, Pearland and Katy. Home to vibrant Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Pakistani, Filipino and other Asian immigrant communities, the district has the biggest concentration of voting-eligible Asian Americans in all of Texas.

Despite its diversity, the seat has been a Republican stronghold going back to the days when it was held by former U.S. House Speaker Tom Delay. In 2016, Donald Trump won the district by 8 percentage points while the incumbent tea-party Republican Pete Olson won re-election by nearly 20 points. On paper, this is one of those seats that looks to be immune to a Democratic wave in November.

But Sri Preston Kulkarni, who quit his post in the Trump administration last year and moved back to Texas to challenge Olson, isn’t so sure.

Read more: https://www.texasobserver.org/sri-kulkarni-is-changing-the-way-democrats-talk-to-asian-americans/