US Midterms: 57 Indian-Origin Candidates in the Running
Washington, November 2
When Americans vote on Tuesday in the midterm elections, 57 candidates of Indian origin will be on the ballot. Their races span from the governor's office in Ohio to the mayor's chair in Los Angeles and a Senate seat in Massachusetts.
The figure highlights how Indian-American participation in US politics continues to expand.
The count is drawn from a list assembled across the country. It covers one Senate candidate, 11 House of Representatives candidates, three statewide candidates, 36 state legislative candidates and six local candidates. Only those whose Indian-origin background could be verified were included.
Another 15 possible candidates are thought to be of Indian origin, but insufficient confirmation kept them off the list.
Ohio is expected to draw the most scrutiny. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is challenging Democrat Amy Acton for governor. A FiftyPlusOne polling average available on Sunday showed Acton ahead by nearly three points. Ramaswamy's bid matters because he has already built a national presence, and a win would raise the profile of Indian-origin leaders in national politics.
In Los Angeles, City Council member Nithya Raman is challenging incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. A joint poll by UC Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies and the Los Angeles Times found 40 percent support for each candidate, with 19 percent of voters still undecided.
New York's attorney general race pits Democrat Letitia James against Republican Sarita Komatireddy. A Siena survey released on October 28 gave James 54 percent support and Komatireddy 39 percent.
Maryland's Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller is running for re-election. She appears on the Democratic ticket with the party's gubernatorial candidate, while Dan Cox is part of the Republican ticket.
Massachusetts hosts the only Senate race with an Indian-origin candidate. Independent Shiva Ayyadurai is challenging Democratic Senator Ed Markey.
In the House, four of the 11 candidates are current Democratic lawmakers: Ro Khanna and Ami Bera from California, Pramila Jayapal from Washington State, and Suhas Subramanyam from Virginia.
Two races feature Indian-origin candidates facing each other. Ro Khanna of California's 17th District will face Republican Ritesh Tandon, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. In Washington's 7th District, Pramila Jayapal will take on Republican Nirav Sheth, who was born in Gujarat and previously served as a US Marine. Cook Political Report and other election analysts regard both seats as safe for Democrats.
The contests for Arizona's 1st District and Florida's 22nd District may prove more interesting. Democratic candidates Amish Shah and Pia Dandia are seeking vacant seats in those districts, and both are rated competitive by election forecasters.
Spending continued through the final stretch of the campaign. Federal Election Commission filings show that Floridians for Affordability, a new super PAC, spent about $14,000 on text messages supporting Dandia on October 30. Its total spending for her has reached roughly $220,000.
Shah's campaign reported 15 contributions totaling $26,000 on October 30. A tally of six FEC filings covering contributions from October 25 to October 30 suggests the campaign received about $100,000 in that period. The figures come from candidates and related groups and may change as filings are updated.
At the state legislative level, 36 Indian-origin candidates are running in 22 states. California, Illinois and New York have four candidates each.
Local candidates include Sim Gill, seeking the district attorney post in Salt Lake County, Utah; Janani Ramachandran, a council member in Oakland, California; and Rohit Malhotra, who is running for the Fulton County Commission in Georgia.
The midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, November 3.