Texas Governor Hopeful Mocks Indians, Calls Herself ‘Pria’

A Texas woman who claims to be running for Governor has triggered a fresh controversy after mocking Indians in a social media post.

Kelly Smith, who says she is a write-in candidate for the Texas Governor election this November, posted an AI-generated photo of herself in Indian attire with a temple-like background.

In the post, she claimed she had “decided to become Indian” because, according to her, Indians say they are “just as American” as she is.

She also said her new name was “Pria.”

“I will be eating hamburgers at Temple and wearing shoes because I can’t give up my Texan culture. I’m just as Indian as y’all, my new name proves it,” she wrote, adding that people should “become Indian” and “grill steaks at temple.”

The post sparked strong backlash from the Indian community, which has already been facing rising hostility in some parts of the state.

Instead of apologising, Kelly doubled down on her remarks. She said people were getting offended by a “joke photo” and argued that Texans also felt disrespected.

She went on to complain about Indian stores opening in Texas and said new shopping centres in her area were increasingly filled with Indian businesses. “This isn’t India,” she wrote.

Kelly Smith describes herself as a lifelong Texan from Cedar Hill. She says she wants to contest the Governor election as a write-in candidate, meaning her name will not appear on the printed ballot and voters would have to manually write it.

Her fundraiser has reportedly received only a small number of donations so far. Though her chances appear extremely slim, her anti-India posts have brought her sudden attention on social media.

On her fundraiser page, she says she believes “Texas belongs to Texans” and calls her campaign a “long shot.” However, critics say she is using anti-India rhetoric to gain visibility online.