Washington, November 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Five Indian-American Democrats have secured seats in the US House of Representatives in Tuesday’s elections, while a sixth victory remained within reach as physician Amish Shah held a substantial lead in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District.
According to projections by Decision Desk HQ, Pia Dandiya, Suhas Subramanyam, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna and Ami Bera were projected winners in their respective congressional races.
Dandiya, a former school principal whose parents immigrated from India, defeated Republican Casey Askar in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, securing approximately 52 per cent of the vote. In Virginia, Subramanyam won a second term from the 10th Congressional District with around 61.5 per cent, defeating Republican Dave Beckwith.
“The campaign is over, but the work is just beginning. I look forward to working with our community to deliver change in Washington,” Subramanyam said in his victory statement.
Jayapal won re-election from Washington state’s 7th Congressional District, while Khanna defeated fellow Indian-American Republican Ritesh Tandon in California’s 17th District. Bera was also projected to win another term from California’s newly redrawn 3rd District, defeating Republican Robb Tucker.
Shah, a physician and former Arizona state legislator, was leading Republican Jay Feely with approximately 54.6 per cent against 43.5 per cent, with around 81 per cent of the expected vote counted. The race had not been called.
In the Los Angeles mayoral race, City Council member Nithya Raman overtook incumbent Mayor Karen Bass as additional ballots were counted. ABC7 Los Angeles reported Raman leading with 354,214 votes, or 50.55 per cent, against Bass’s 346,513 votes, or 49.45 per cent. The contest remained too close to call.
Indian-American Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller secured another four-year term in Maryland after Democratic Governor Wes Moore won re-election. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, whose father is of Indian origin, was also re-elected, defeating Republican Eric Toney.
Indian-American candidates also made gains in state legislative contests. In Texas, Democrat Pooja Sethi led Republican Jennifer Mushtaler in House District 47 with approximately 63.4 per cent of the vote, with more than 95 per cent counted. In Georgia, Jyot Singh declared victory in House District 97 after unofficial returns showed him leading Republican Yassin Moghazy by around 68 per cent to 32 per cent.
In Illinois, Democrat Nabeela Syed led Republican incumbent Darby Hills in Senate District 26 with approximately 57 per cent of the vote. Ram Villivalam retained another Illinois Senate seat, while Arvind Venkat won re-election to Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives.
Among prominent Indian-American Republican candidates, Vivek Ramaswamy lost the Ohio Governor’s race to Democrat Amy Acton and conceded late Tuesday. Ramaswamy had received strong backing from President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. In New York, Republican Saritha Komatireddy lost the Attorney General’s election to Democratic incumbent Letitia James. Mahesh Ganorkar in North Carolina and Sandeep Dixit in Ohio were among other Indian-American candidates who lost.
The November 3 elections, held midway through Trump’s second presidential term, saw Democrats projected to gain control of both chambers of Congress. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats were contested, alongside governorships and state and local offices.
Indian-American political representation in the US has expanded since Dalip Singh Saund became the first Indian-born member of Congress in 1957. Candidates of Indian descent now contest congressional, statewide and local elections across both major political parties.
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