FROM governor to city council, Indian American candidates are running for office across the United States in Tuesday’s midterm elections, seeking a greater voice for the country’s 5.2 million-strong community.
The highest-profile race is in Ohio, where Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, endorsed by President Donald Trump, is locked in a tight contest with Democrat Amy Acton for governor. If elected, Ramaswamy would become the third governor of Indian heritage, after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Nikki Haley of South Carolina.
Statewide races
In Maryland, Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, who was born in Hyderabad, is seeking reelection.
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In New York, Trump-endorsed Republican Saritha Komatireddy is challenging Democratic Attorney General Letitia James. In Wisconsin, Attorney General Josh Kaul is seeking reelection.
Congress
Four Indian American Democrats in the House, Ro Khanna, Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal and Suhas Subramanyam, are expected to win reelection.
Two of them face Indian American Republican challengers. Khanna takes on entrepreneur Ritesh Tandon in California’s 17th District, and Jayapal faces Nirav Sheth, a Gujarat-born former Marine, in Washington’s 7th District.
Democrats hoping to join them include Pia Dandiya, a former school principal in a close race against Republican Casey Aksar in Florida, and Amish Shah, an emergency medicine physician in Arizona. Both are backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which sees their seats as pickup opportunities.
Other House candidates include Republican Mahesh Ganorkar in North Carolina’s 4th District and independents Sandeep Dixit in Ohio’s 13th District and Anil Kumar in Michigan’s 11th District.
State legislatures
In Michigan, House Democratic leader Ranjeev Puri could become the state’s first Indian American House speaker if Democrats win control of the chamber.
In Arizona, state Senate Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan is seeking reelection and could become president of the chamber if Democrats win a majority.
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Delhi-educated Lisa Kaul is running for the New York State Senate, and former immigration attorney Pooja Sethi is running for the Texas House against Republican Jennifer Mushtaler.
Local races
In Los Angeles, Nithya Raman is running for mayor. In Georgia, Democrat Shuchita Patel is running for Forsyth County commissioner, and in Washington, D.C., Aparna Raj is running for the city council.
A history of firsts
Indian Americans first entered Congress in 1956, when Amritsar-born Dalip Singh Saund became the first Asian American and first Sikh elected to the House. He served three terms.
(With inputs from PTI)
- Vivek Ramaswamy in tight race to become Ohio governor
- Four Indian American House Democrats expected to win reelection
- Ranjeev Puri could become Michigan’s first Indian American House speaker
- Candidates on the ballot from governor to city council
For Allen, the Gujarati-language campaign is part of an effort to maintain contact with residents beyond the election. Bryan Allen for PA
In Maryland, Hyderabad-born Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller is seeking another term on the Democratic ticket with Governor Wes Moore. Getty
Ro Khanna is seeking re-election.Getty
In New York, Republican Saritha Komatireddy is challenging Democratic incumbent Letitia James for attorney general. Getty
Pramila Jayapal is also seeking re-election.Getty