- 13-Year-Old Hyderabad Girl Saves Six Lives Through Organ Donation After Fatal Road Accident
- Indian Railways posts record October freight loading, passenger traffic rises
- Sreeleela Joins The Ensemble Cast of Rajinikanth’s Dharman
- Sam Altman says humans must control AI, warns against superintelligence
- Tabu Is Introduced As ‘Mahanthi Jhansi Rani' From Nagarjuna’s King 100
- Fiery Trump acolyte Ramaswamy loses Ohio governor election after controversial ad
- Tamil Nadu floats tenders for breakfast scheme supplies as beneficiary count crosses 34 lakh
- Google Clarifies AI Policy for Schools After Backlash
Indian-Origin Candidates Make Strong Gains In US Midterms; Pia Dandiya, Suhas Subramanyam Win
In Short
Indian-American candidates score key victories in the 2026 US midterms as Pia Dandiya, Suhas Subramanyam, Aruna Miller and Ro Khanna win their respective races.
Share :
Indian-Origin Candidates Make Strong Gains In US Midterms; Pia Dandiya, Suhas Subramanyam Win
In the 2026 US midterm elections, Indian-American candidates have picked up significant wins as Democrat Pia Dandiya wins Florida's 22nd Congressional District, Suhas Subramanyam is re-elected in Virginia and Aruna Miller keeps his post as Lieutenant Governor of Maryland.
The outcomes are also another milestone in the representation of Indians in American politics, where several candidates secured seats in the Congress and State Assembly. Other races that were closely watched got attention all around the country, and Democrat Ro Khanna was reelected in California.
Congressional race in Florida goes to Pia Dandiya
Democrat Pia Dandiya defeated Republican candidate Casey Askar to win Florida's 22nd Congressional District. Her win is the first for the Indian-American community to represent an Indian-American in the US House of Representatives from the Sunshine State of Florida.
Dandiya was born and raised in Palm Beach County to Indian immigrant parents and has worked as a teacher and high school principal in Harlem. She also worked at Apple and was a Fellow at the White House.
She campaigned on the issues of education, affordability and economic opportunities. The result of a redistricting process led by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the constituency was redrawn prior to the 2026 elections.
Suhas Subramanyam Wins Re-Election In Virginia
Indian-American Democrat Suhas Subramanyam re-elected to the US House of Representatives from Virginia's 10th Congressional District by defeating Republican candidate Dave T Beckwith.
Subramanyam received 1.73 lakh votes (63.16 per cent) while Beckwith got 94,990 votes (34.66 per cent). Independent candidate Ahsen Mujeeb Malik received 1.99 per cent of the votes.
Prior to the election, Subramanyam had encouraged Indian-Americans to vote, stating that their presence and voice was needed in the context of increased hate and discrimination in the country.
He was born in 1979 in Virginia to Indian immigrant parents, and was the first Indian-American to represent the state's 10th Congressional District.
Aruna Miller Retains Maryland Lieutenant Governor's Post
Indian-American Democrat Aruna Miller has won his re-election as Maryland's Lieutenant Governor. She ran for office with Governor Wes Moore, who was also re-elected.
Gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox and his running mate Rob Krop were the Republican team that was defeated by the Democratic ticket.
Miller's win will keep one of the state's top offices held by an Indian-American.
Amy Acton Topples Vivek Ramaswamy In Ohio
The Ohio Governor's race saw a defeat for Indian-American Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, as Democrat Amy Acton has been elected Governor making her the first female Governor of Ohio.
Former health director for Ohio during the Covid-19 pandemic physician Acton defeated the candidate supported by US President Donald Trump. Her win is also the first time in 20 years that a Democrat has been elected to the state's governorship.
Her campaign was based on affordability and access to care. She will replace Republican Governor Mike DeWine, limited by term in office.
Ro Khanna, and Other Indian-origin Candidates In Focus
Democrat Ro Khanna re-elected to the US House of Representatives from California 17th Congressional District. Fellow Democrat Ami Bera picked up a win in California and Amish Shah was leading in a close race in Arizona.
Election results are closely being tracked, as the midterm elections will help to determine the balance of power in Congress, and may provide a clue about voters' attitudes toward the Trump administration, particularly regarding the conduct of Indian-origin candidates.
The findings may also have implications for the Democratic Party's campaign going forward ahead of the 2028 presidential election, as the party debates whether it should embrace a more populist economic agenda or play it safe with a more middle-of-the-road approach to appeal to swing voters.
