Indian-American candidates face challenges from within both parties ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections. Republicans are under pressure over the party’s stance on skilled immigration, while several Democratic candidates have lost primaries to progressive challengers…reports Asian Lite News Desk
Indian-American candidates contesting the November 3 US midterm elections are facing pressure from both Republicans and Democrats, with immigration policy creating tensions on the right and progressive challengers gaining ground on the left.
At least nine Indian-American Republicans are on the November ballot, according to community media tallies. They include Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for governor of Ohio, and Saritha Komatireddy, a candidate for New York attorney general, alongside three US House nominees and candidates for state legislatures in New York, Tennessee, California and Michigan.
Their campaigns are unfolding amid growing opposition within Republican circles to skilled immigration programmes, including the H-1B visa system, which is widely used by Indian professionals.
The Trump administration has proposed a $100,000 fee for H-1B petitions. The Labour Department has also suspended PERM green card certifications for eight technology companies, adding to concerns about immigration pathways used by skilled foreign workers.
The debate has fuelled online hostility towards Indian Americans in parts of the conservative movement, creating a challenge for candidates campaigning under the Republican banner.
Democratic candidates have faced a different set of pressures, with several losing primaries to challengers backed by progressive groups and politicians.
In Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, Representative Shri Thanedar lost the August 4 primary to state Representative Donavan McKinney, a democratic socialist supported by Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Rashida Tlaib and Justice Democrats.
McKinney received 51.9 per cent of the vote, compared with Thanedar’s 48.1 per cent. Thanedar had broken with the Democratic Socialists of America in 2023.
In New York, Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar lost the June 23 primary for the 38th Assembly District in Queens to David Orkin, a Democratic Socialists of America member backed by the group’s New York City chapter.
Orkin secured 58.8 per cent of the vote, while Rajkumar received 40.9 per cent. Rajkumar had accused the organisation of conducting a campaign of hate against her.
In Georgia, Rahul Garabadu lost a June 16 Democratic runoff for state Senate District 7 to Ruwa Romman, a progressive candidate endorsed by Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Romman won 60.1 per cent of the vote against Garabadu’s 39.9 per cent, according to the Georgia Secretary of State.
However, some Indian-American Democrats have gained support from progressive voters.
In Los Angeles, City Councilmember Nithya Raman is challenging Mayor Karen Bass. Raman, who received an endorsement from the Democratic Socialists of America during her 2020 council campaign, led Bass by 39 per cent to 28 per cent in a Berkeley IGS poll co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. The survey was conducted from September 15 to 20.
The candidates are due to meet on Tuesday in the race’s only live televised debate.
In Texas, immigration attorney Pooja Sethi won the March Democratic primary for House District 47 in Austin with about 76 per cent of the vote. If elected on November 3, she would become the first Indian American to serve in the Texas Legislature.
The contests highlight the challenges facing Indian-American candidates across the political spectrum. Their backgrounds have not necessarily shielded them from disagreements over policy, ideology or party loyalties.
Republican candidates must navigate divisions over skilled immigration, while Democrats face debates over progressive politics, campaign funding and positions on Israel and Gaza.
The results of the November elections will determine how these candidates fare in a political climate shaped by competing pressures within both major parties.
