Dozen Indian-Americans emerge strong contenders for US midterm
Samosa Caucus: PIOs rise in politics, 1% of 32.5 cr US population
Nearly a dozen Indian-Americans, some of them part of the so-called ‘Samosa Caucus’, have emerged as strong contenders for Tuesday’s high-profile US midterm taking place at a time when the anti-immigrant sentiment is at its peak in the country.
The emergence of numerous of young Indian-Americans reflects the growing desire of this small ethnic community comprising just 1% of the US population of 32.57 crores. “It has been incredible to see the rise of IndianAmericans in US politics,” Rich Verma, the former US ambassador to India, said.
This election could be transformational, sending a number of new members into the House of Representatives and state legislatures also, observed Verma, who has campaigned for several of the Indian-Americans running for offices.
All the four Indian-American lawmakers in the present House of Representatives are expected to easily sail through on Tuesday’s midterm polls.
They are three-term Congressman Ami Bera from the seventh Congressional district of California and three first timers, who are seeking their re-election: Ro Khanna from 17th Congressional District of California, Raja Krishnamoorthi from eighth Congressional District of Illinois and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal from seventh Congressional District of Washington State.
The four incumbents are joined by seven other IndianAmericans on the ballot for the House of Representatives. The midterm will take place in the middle of President Trump’s four-year term. All 435 seats in the US House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the US Senate will be up for grabs. About 39 state and territorial governorships and other state and local elections will also be contested.
Successful entrepreneur Shiv Ayyadurai is the sole Indian-American to be running for Senate. He has pitched himself as an independent against the powerful Elizabeth Warren — a potential Democratic presidential candidate — for the Senate seat in Massachusetts.
But they are not all. As per unofficial estimates, over 100 Indian-Americans are running for various elected offices across the country. “This year, nearly 100 IndianAmericans ran for office in all levels of government, including some who could flip House seats from red to blue,” said John Santos, spokesperson AAPI media of Democratic National Committee.
These candidates have put districts in play that Trump won as they are talking about the issues that matter to voters, like protecting access to quality and affordable healthcare and investing in higher education, Santos said.