Terre Haute mayor-elect Sakbun gets call from Vice President Harris

Nov. 9—The voice on the other end of the cellphone call shared something in common with Brandon Sakbun.

Vice President Kamala Harris is the daughter of immigrant parents — a Jamaican father and an Indian mother.

Sakbun is the son of immigrant parents — his father from Cambodia and his mother from Jamaica.

After Terre Haute voters elected Sakbun to be their next mayor on Tuesday, he got a congratulatory phone call from the vice president. Sakbun got a heads-up a half-hour in advance.

"One of her senior advisors reached out to me and essentially said, 'Keep your phone on loud. She's calling in 30 minutes,'" Sakbun explained Thursday morning.

"At first I thought it was a prank," he said, smiling.

It was no prank. Harris indeed called him. They talked about their immigrant backgrounds, including their parental connections to Jamaica and Asia, and other topics.

"We did discuss our heritage," Sakbun said. "We discussed the potential of the Midwest and communities like Terre Haute. I will use every opportunity to sell our community, and that is definitely something we are doing."

Their conversation about family origins touched Sakbun.

"It was a little emotional," he said. "She was immediately asking about my mother, who is Jamaican. And Kamala Harris has a Jamaican background, as well. I thought it was great that the vice president was inquiring about my family. She said she saw some lovely pictures of my sisters' brother (Sakbun himself), my parents and how that represents [what] the American dream is. Immigrants from all backgrounds — Europe, Africa, Asia — coming together to form a democratic country and how their values are still here today."

Harris' late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in Chennai, India, and died in 2009. Harris' father, Donald Harris, was born in Browns Town, Jamaica, and is now 85 years old.

Sakbun's father, Vannara survived the genocide of the 1970s in Cambodia. His mother Carlene came from poverty in Jamaica. They live in Terre Haute, where, Brandon was born and raised along with his sisters Apsara and Haley.

He and Harris talked about their families and mothers. "That's just something I just loved," he said. "It's like my mom. They're from Jamaica. And to see strong women like that helping lead the nation, and strong women like that in your family. It does put a little tear in your eye sometimes."

Harris' call to Sakbun drew some national attention. CBS News senior White House correspondent Ed O'Keefe reported about their conversation in a post on X (formerly Twitter) and noted that Harris called to congratulate several election night winners, including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Rhode Island congressman-elect Gabe Amo, among others. Sakbun was the lone mayor on the list.

Their interaction might not be a one-time thing. Harris invited him to visit the White House.

"We've exchanged contact information," Sakbun said. "She made sure to say, 'Hey when you're in the area, make sure and stop by the office. We'd love to sit down and talk with you in person and shake your hand.' I don't know if I'll have any vacation time to take her up on that, but if I'm in the area for the state and the community, I will take her up on that."

Mark Bennett can be reached at 812-231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.