- Ranjeev Puri could become Michigan’s first Indian American House speaker
- He leads House Democrats in the Republican-controlled chamber
- Puri was the first Sikh American elected to the Michigan House in 2020
- About 127,000 people of Indian origin live in Michigan
MICHIGAN state Rep. Ranjeev Puri could become the state’s first Indian American House speaker if Democrats win control of the chamber in the November 3 elections.
Puri, 42, has led House Democrats in the 110-member chamber since 2025. Republicans currently hold the majority, with Matt Hall as speaker. If Democrats flip the House, Puri would be in line for the top job.
“Michigan Dems are on the move. We are about to flip the state house and make Ranjeev Puri THE FIRST Indian American State House Speaker in the country,” US Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan said while campaigning.
Stevens is retiring from Congress this year after an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for the US Senate.
A series of firsts
Born to Punjabi immigrants, Puri became the first Sikh American elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2020. He is now serving his third term.
He worked on Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012, then earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business before returning to Michigan to work in the auto industry.
In his own race on November 3, Puri faces Republican Allison Kay Fuller.
A divided state government
Michigan has a Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, but a Republican-controlled House. Democrats hope a win would end that split.
About 127,000 people of Indian origin live in Michigan, accounting for 1.27 percent of the state’s population, according to the Indian American Voter Atlas, developed by Republican strategist Anang Mittal.
(With inputs from PTI)
