Two Indian Americans join democrats’ key house campaign as Amish Shah and Pia Dandiya eye GOP seats

Highlights:

TWO Indian American candidates, Amish Shah and Pia Dandiya, are included in the Democratic Party’s campaign for the Congressional elections as it aims to take control of the House from Republicans in November.

Shah and Dandiya were on Tuesday (28) added to the Democrats’ Red to Blue program, which provides organisational and fundraising support to candidates running competitively in Republican-leaning districts.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is supporting 30 candidates it believes can flip their respective seats from Republicans in the November elections.

Shah, a physician and former state representative, is in the fray from the First District in Arizona against former NFL kicker Jay Feely, the Republican candidate who has received an endorsement from president Donald Trump.

Dandiya, a former high school principal, is seeking a South Florida 22nd district that was carved out in redistricting and where no incumbent is running.

Born to parents who migrated to the US from India, Dandiya previously sought to challenge Republican Brian Mast, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, from Florida’s 21st district.

“A working mother who wants to write a new future, Pia is determined to make the American dream more accessible to South Floridians by addressing the affordability crisis, protecting essential programs like Social Security and Medicare, and holding Republicans accountable for their broken promises,” DCCC chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) said in a statement.

Shah, a three-term member of the Arizona House of Representatives, defeated former broadcast journalist Marlene Galan-Woods, a candidate backed by the DCCC.

Amish Shahx

Galan-Woods is the third DCCCbacked candidate to lose a contested House primary this year, along with Jasmeet Bains in California and Joe Baldacci in Maine.

“We’re in a fight for the future of our democracy and Indian American leaders will play a critical role in winning back the House,” said Indian American Impact, an organisation that works for having equitable representation for Indian Americans at every level of government. Born in Chicago to Gujarati parents who immigrated to the US in the 1960s, Shah earned his undergraduate degree at Northwestern University and his medical degree at Northwestern University Medical School as part of the Honors Program in Medical Education. Shah’s father is Jain and his mother is Hindu.

Dandiya is a first-generation American who was a high school principal in Harlem, policy leader and technology innovator, according to her campaign website. Born and raised in Palm Beach County in Florida, Dandiya started her career as a teacher.

She founded a high school for students from low-income families, with every graduate student gaining admission to college.

Dandiya was the founding principal of her school at the age of 28, making her one of the youngest high school principals in the country, according to the campaign website.

The outgoing House has six Indian Americans – Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Shri Thanedar, Suhas Subramanyam, Ami Bera and Pramila Jayapal.

Khanna is keen on making a bid for the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party in the 2028 election.

Krishnamoorthi lost the Democratic Party primary for the US Senate election from Illinois.