Indian Americans Chase Historic Electoral Firsts in US Elections, From Los Angeles to Texas

Indian-American candidates are seeking historic breakthroughs in the November 3 elections across the United States, with contests ranging from the Los Angeles mayoral race to state legislative battles in Texas and Georgia.

Among the closely watched races is Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman’s bid to defeat incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. A poll published on Friday showed Raman leading Bass, raising the possibility that she could become the city’s first Indian-American mayor.

The Manhattan Institute poll of likely voters, reported by Political Wire, put Raman at 38 per cent and Bass at 32 per cent, with a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points.

The contest is nonpartisan. In the June 2 primary, Bass secured 34.3 per cent of the vote, compared with Raman’s 29 per cent.

Speaking at a mayoral forum on September 29, Raman said her campaign aimed to address the needs of every part of Los Angeles. She also called for housing construction across all neighbourhoods.

The two candidates are scheduled to face each other in their final debate on Tuesday.

In Texas, Democrat Pooja Sethi is contesting the open House District 47 seat against Republican Jennifer Mushtaler. Sethi, an immigration lawyer and chair of the Travis County Democratic Party, won her primary with approximately 76 per cent of the vote.

If elected, she would become the first Indian American and the first Hindu to serve in the Texas Legislature.

Sethi 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,” she 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 reports.

In New York, Republican Saritha Komatireddy is challenging Democratic Attorney General Letitia James, becoming the first South Asian major-party nominee for statewide office in the state.

Born in Brooklyn to parents who immigrated from India in the 1980s, Komatireddy previously served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and as a federal prosecutor handling terrorism cases. US President Donald Trump endorsed her in August.

Speaking to NY1 in August about her parents’ journey, Komatireddy said, “You can work hard, dream big, and have a shot at achieving those dreams.”

A Siena poll conducted from September 11 to 17 placed James at 52 per cent and Komatireddy at 39 per cent. The reported gap was narrower than James’s 18-point lead in August.

In Maryland, Democrat Amar Mukunda is expected 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 to contest the seat.

Mukunda received 48.6 per cent of the vote against King’s 36.1 per cent. With parents from India and Pakistan, he would become Maryland’s first South Asian state senator, according to a campaign-sourced report in The Sentinel.

In a statement, Mukunda said his campaign had focused on the need for political change and improved governance rather than on an individual candidate.

“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,” he said.

Also in Maryland, Hyderabad-born Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller is seeking a second term as part of Governor Wes Moore’s ticket.

The candidates’ campaigns follow several 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 in the United States.

Indian American Impact, an organisation tracking political representation, counts more than 250 Indian Americans holding elected office.

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.