Pia Dandiya, Suhas Subramanyam, Pramila Jayapal and Ro Khanna record congressional victories, while Vivek Ramaswamy loses Ohio governor’s race.
Indian-American candidates recorded several significant victories in the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, securing congressional and state-level positions across the country, while several closely contested races remained undecided as vote counting continued on Wednesday, November 4.
Among the prominent winners were Democrats Pia Dandiya in Florida, Suhas Subramanyam in Virginia, Pramila Jayapal in Washington state and Ro Khanna in California. Maryland Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller also secured another term following Democratic Governor Wes Moore’s re-election.
In Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, Dandiya, a former school principal whose parents immigrated from India, defeated Republican Casey Askar, securing approximately 52 per cent of the vote compared with Askar’s 48 per cent.
In Virginia, incumbent Democratic Congressman Suhas Subramanyam retained his seat in the 10th Congressional District, defeating Republican challenger 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 following his victory.
On the West Coast, Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal was projected to win re-election in Washington’s 7th Congressional District, defeating Republican Nirav Sheth.
In California, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna secured another term representing the 17th Congressional District after defeating Republican Ritesh Tandon.
Fellow Indian-American Democrat Ami Bera also maintained a substantial lead in California’s newly redrawn 3rd Congressional District, receiving approximately 60 per cent of the vote against Republican Robb Tucker’s 40 per cent. However, the race had not yet been officially called.
Meanwhile, Indian-American physician and former Arizona state lawmaker Dr. Amish Shah was leading Republican Jay Feely in the state’s closely watched 1st Congressional District.
According to Decision Desk HQ, Shah had secured 54.9 per cent of the vote compared with Feely’s 43.2 per cent, with approximately 76 per cent of the expected ballots counted.
The district, which includes Scottsdale and portions of metropolitan Phoenix, remained undecided, with Shah positioned to potentially become another Indian-American Democratic representative in Congress.
However, the elections also brought notable defeats for several Indian-American Republican candidates.
In Ohio, Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who received President Donald Trump’s endorsement, lost to Democrat Amy Acton. Late election returns showed Acton receiving approximately 51 per cent of the vote compared with Ramaswamy’s 46 per cent.
In New York, former federal prosecutor and Republican candidate Saritha Komatireddy was defeated by incumbent Democratic Attorney General Letitia James, who secured approximately 62 per cent of the vote.
Other unsuccessful Indian-American candidates included Republican Mahesh Ganorkar in North Carolina, independent Sandeep Dixit in Ohio and independent Anil Kumar in Michigan.
Indian-American candidates also made gains in state legislative elections.
In Pennsylvania, Democratic state Representative Arvind Venkat won re-election in House District 30, while Ram Villivalam retained his seat in Illinois Senate District 8.
In another Illinois Senate contest, Democrat Nabeela Syed led Republican incumbent Darby Hills by approximately 57 per cent to 43 per cent in District 26, with more than 95 per cent of the estimated vote counted. The race remained officially uncalled.
In Georgia, Democrat Jyot Singh held a commanding lead over Republican Yassin Moghazy in House District 97, securing approximately 68 per cent of the vote compared with 32 per cent for his opponent.
Meanwhile, Democrat Pooja Sethi declared victory in Texas House District 47.
The November 3 midterm elections, held halfway through Trump’s second presidential term, included contests for all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, 35 Senate seats, governorships and numerous state legislative positions.
The results highlight the growing representation of Indian Americans in U.S. politics, with candidates from the community competing for offices at both federal and state levels across the country.
While several prominent candidates secured re-election or entered Congress for the first time, the outcomes also demonstrated the increasingly competitive political environment facing candidates from both major parties.
