Record 5 Indian-American lawmakers elected to US House

Washington, November 10

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A record five Indian-American lawmakers from the ruling Democrat Party, including Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal and Ami Bera, have been elected to the US House of Representatives, while several others were elected in state legislatures, in one of the most polarised midterm elections in the country.

Indian-American entrepreneur-turned-politician and Democrat Shri Thanedar became the first Indian-American to win the Congressional elections from Michigan, pipping Republican candidate Martell Bivings.

Thanedar, 67, currently represents the third district in the Michigan House.

In the eighth Congressional District of Illinois, Raja Krishnamoorthi, 49, was re-elected for the fourth consecutive term by a comfortable margin.

He defeated his Republican opponent Chris Dargis.

In Silicon Valley, Indian-American Ro Khanna, 46, defeated his compatriot Republican opponent Ritesh Tandon in the 17th Congressional District of California.

Chennai-born Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, the only Indian-American woman lawmaker in the House of Representatives, defeated her GOP rival, Cliff Moon in the 7th Congressional District of Washington State.

Bera, 57, is the longest-serving Indian-American in the Congress. He has been representing California’s 7th Congressional District since 2013.

Bera has defeated Republican Tamika Hamilton.

Krishnamoorthi, Khanna, Jayapal and Bera were members of the previous House.

Indian-Americans candidates picked up seats in State legislatures also.

In Maryland, Aruna Miller scripted history by becoming the first Indian-American politician to win the race of Lieutenant Governor.

Miller, 58, a former delegate to the Maryland House, was on the Lieutenant Governor ticket along with Wes Moore — the Democratic Governor-elect.

However, Indian-American Sandeep Srivastava lost from Texas’s third Congressional district to Keith Self, the former Colin County judge.

The emergence of a large number of young Indian-American candidates reflects the growing desire of this small ethnic community comprising just one per cent of the US population of 33.19 crore.

The midterm elections will have a significant impact on the direction of the nation, as well as the fate of the person and the party in power in the White House.

Currently, Democrats are in the majority due to the tie-breaking power of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves ex-officio as the president of the Senate.

The outcome will influence the playing field for the 2024 presidential campaign, and especially the odds of Donald Trump running again.