Highlights:
- Ro Khanna leads eight Indian-American lawmakers and members-elect with $16.6 million in campaign cash and no outstanding debt.
- His cash reserve is higher than the other seven politicians' combined $11.1 million.
- Shri Thanedar has the second-largest reserve at $5.9 million but reported $14.44 million in campaign debt.
- Newly elected members Amish Shah and Pia Dandiya reported smaller cash balances and outstanding liabilities.
- Raja Krishnamoorthi maintained separate House and Senate campaign accounts, with significant fundraising and spending activity.
US Representative Ro Khanna has emerged as the biggest campaign cash holder among eight Indian-American lawmakers and members-elect, reporting $16.6 million in available funds with no outstanding debt. His campaign reserves exceed the combined cash balances of the other seven politicians, highlighting the considerable financial differences within the group.
A review of Federal Election Commission (FEC) records shows that the California Democrat reported approximately $16.6 million in campaign cash. The other seven lawmakers collectively held around $11.1 million.
During the 2026 election cycle through October 14, Khanna's campaign received $15.3 million and spent $9.5 million. Despite the expenditure, his accumulated cash reserve remained significantly higher than those of his Indian-American colleagues.
Among the other incumbent lawmakers, Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington reported approximately $1.75 million in campaign cash, while California Representative Ami Bera held around $1.65 million. Virginia Representative Suhas Subramanyam reported approximately $746,000.
Jayapal and Subramanyam had no outstanding campaign debt. Bera, however, reported liabilities of $80,000.
Their fundraising and spending figures also reflected different campaign financial positions. Jayapal raised $2.9 million and spent $3.2 million during the election cycle. Bera reported receipts of $1.5 million against expenditures of $1.7 million, while Subramanyam raised $1.7 million and spent approximately $1.1 million.
Amish Shah and Pia Dandiya report smaller reserves
The two Indian-American members-elect, Amish Shah and Pia Dandiya, reported considerably smaller campaign cash balances before securing their electoral victories.
Shah, who defeated Republican Jay Feely in Arizona's 1st Congressional District, raised $5.7 million and spent $5.5 million through October 14. His campaign retained approximately $206,000, alongside nearly $37,000 in outstanding debt.
Dandiya, who defeated Republican Casey Askar in Florida's 22nd Congressional District, reported $4.6 million in campaign receipts and $3.9 million in expenditures. Her campaign had approximately $735,000 remaining but also disclosed $247,000 in debt.
The financial figures for their Republican opponents were also included in the disclosures. Askar raised $7.4 million, including $6.69 million in personal loans. His campaign spent $5.5 million and retained around $1.9 million in cash, but had outstanding debt of $6.29 million after repaying $400,000 in loans.
Feely reported campaign receipts of $3.8 million and expenditures of $3.6 million. His campaign had approximately $183,000 in cash and $330,000 in outstanding debt.
Thanedar has second-largest cash reserve but substantial debt
Representative Shri Thanedar held the second-largest campaign cash reserve among the Indian-American lawmakers reviewed, with approximately $5.9 million as of September 30.
However, his campaign's outstanding debt stood at $14.44 million, considerably higher than its available cash. During the election cycle, the campaign received $3.2 million and spent $4.2 million.
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi's campaign finances were split between his House and Senate accounts. As of September 30, his House campaign account held approximately $47,000, while his Senate campaign account had around $33,000.
His House account reported $3.9 million in receipts and $21 million in expenditures. Meanwhile, the Senate campaign raised $31.6 million and spent $31.5 million. The Senate account's fundraising total included $19.4 million transferred from other authorized committees.
Such transfers matter when evaluating campaign finances because money moved between authorized accounts can be counted more than once if the figures are simply added together.
Overall, the FEC disclosures reveal a wide gap in campaign cash reserves and outstanding liabilities among Indian-American lawmakers. While Khanna leads the group with substantial available funds and no reported debt, other politicians have considerably smaller balances or significant financial obligations. The figures offer a snapshot of their campaign finances during the 2026 election cycle.
