Candidates across five US states are seeking historic breakthroughs, from a potential first Indian-American mayor of Los Angeles to a first Hindu member of the Texas Legislature….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Indian-American candidates are seeking historic breakthroughs in the November 3 elections, with contests spanning Los Angeles, Texas, Georgia, New York and Maryland. From Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman’s bid to become the city’s first Indian-American mayor to Pooja Sethi’s campaign for a seat in the Texas Legislature, several candidates are pursuing milestones in American political representation.
A poll published on Friday put Raman ahead of incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, adding fresh attention to the nonpartisan mayoral contest. The Manhattan Institute poll of likely voters placed Raman at 38 per cent and Bass at 32 per cent, with a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points, according to Political Wire.
In the June 2 primary, Bass secured 34.3 per cent of the vote, compared with Raman’s 29 per cent. The two candidates are scheduled to meet for their final debate on Tuesday.
Raman, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, has made housing and neighbourhood development central to her campaign.
“I’m running for mayor because I don’t want to ignore any part of this city,” Raman said at a mayoral forum on September 29.
“We need to build more housing in Los Angeles, but we need to build it across every single neighborhood,” she added.
In Austin, Democrat Pooja Sethi is contesting the open Texas House District 47 seat against Republican Jennifer Mushtaler. Sethi won her party’s primary with about 76 per cent of the vote.
An immigration lawyer and chair of the Travis County Democratic Party, Sethi would become the first Indian American and the first Hindu elected to the Texas Legislature if she wins.
She attracted attention earlier this year after responding on X to Turning Point commentator Savanah Hernandez.
“My heritage isn’t an insult. It’s my story. And like millions of Americans, it’s rooted in hard work, faith in this country, and service to our community. If that bothers you, that says more about you than it does about me,” Sethi wrote.
In Georgia, Democrat Jyot Singh is running for House District 97 in Gwinnett County against Republican Yassin Moghazy. Singh won the May 19 primary with 59.1 per cent of the vote.
A Yale graduate endorsed by Congressman Ro Khanna, Singh would become Georgia’s first Sikh elected official, according to his campaign and community media coverage.
In New York, Republican Saritha Komatireddy is challenging Democratic Attorney General Letitia James. Komatireddy is the first South Asian major-party nominee for statewide office in New York.
Born in Brooklyn to parents who came from India in the 1980s, she previously served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and as a federal terrorism prosecutor. President Donald Trump endorsed her in August.
“You can work hard, dream big, and have a shot at achieving those dreams,” Komatireddy told NY1 in August, speaking about her parents.
A Siena poll conducted from September 11 to 17 placed James at 52 per cent and Komatireddy at 39 per cent. The gap had narrowed from an 18-point lead for James in August.
In Maryland, Democrat Amar Mukunda is poised to secure a state Senate seat after defeating Senate Majority Leader Nancy King in the June primary for District 39 in Montgomery County. No Republican filed for the seat.
Mukunda won 48.6 per cent of the vote, compared with King’s 36.1 per cent. With no Republican candidate in the race, he is all but assured of winning the seat, according to the supplied report.
Mukunda, whose parents are from India and Pakistan, would become Maryland’s first South Asian state senator, according to a campaign-sourced report in The Sentinel.
“This campaign was not about me, nor was it about Senator King’s dedication and service to our community. It was a movement of people willing to say the obvious: our politics are stuck, the way we do things has to change, and Annapolis must deliver better results,” Mukunda said in a statement.
Also in Maryland, Hyderabad-born Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller is seeking a second term on Governor Wes Moore’s ticket.
The candidates’ campaigns follow other milestones in Indian-American political representation. Zohran Mamdani became New York City’s first Indian-American mayor last year, while Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley were the first two Indian-American governors.
Indian American Impact counts more than 250 Indian Americans holding elected office across the country.
Kumar Barve, a Maryland Democrat, became the first Indian American elected to a state legislature in 1990, when he won a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates.
