TWO Indian-American candidates, Amish Shah and Pia Dandiya, feature in the Democratic Party's campaign for the Congressional elections as it seeks to take control of the House from Republicans in November.
The Democratic Party on Tuesday (28) added five candidates, including Shah and Dandiya, to its Red to Blue programme, which provides organisational and fundraising support to candidates running in Republican-leaning districts.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is supporting 30 candidates it believes can flip their seats from Republicans in the November elections.
Shah, a physician and former state representative, is contesting the First District in Arizona against former NFL kicker Jay Feely, the Republican candidate, who has been endorsed by president Donald Trump.
Dandiya, a former high school principal, is seeking South Florida's 22nd district, which was created in redistricting and where no incumbent is running.
Pia Dandiyahttps://piaforcongress.com/
Born to parents who migrated to the US from India, Dandiya had earlier sought to challenge Republican Brian Mast, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, from Florida's 21st district.
"A working mother who wants to write a new future, Pia is determined to make the American dream more accessible to South Floridians by addressing the affordability crisis, protecting essential programs like Social Security and Medicare, and holding Republicans accountable for their broken promises," DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) said in a statement.
'A fight for the future'
Shah, a three-term member of the Arizona House of Representatives, defeated former broadcast journalist Marlene Galan-Woods, a candidate backed by the DCCC, in the Democratic primary.
Galan-Woods is the third DCCC-backed candidate to lose a contested House primary this year, following Jasmeet Bains in California and Joe Baldacci in Maine.
"We're in a fight for the future of our democracy and Indian American leaders will play a critical role in winning back the House," said Indian American Impact, an organisation that works for equitable representation of Indian Americans at every level of government.
Born in Chicago to Gujarati parents who immigrated to the US in the 1960s, Shah earned his undergraduate degree at Northwestern University and his medical degree at Northwestern University Medical School as part of the Honours Program in Medical Education.
Shah's father is Jain and his mother is Hindu. Dandiya is a first-generation American who has spent her career in education, policy and technology, according to her campaign website.
Born and raised in Palm Beach County, Florida, Dandiya began her career as a teacher and later became a high school principal in Harlem. She founded a high school aimed at improving outcomes for low-income students by putting them on a path to college and economic independence.
Every graduate of her school gained college admission, despite 86 per cent of them coming from low-income households. She became the founding principal of her school at the age of 28, making her one of the youngest high school principals in the country, according to the campaign website.
The outgoing House has six Indian Americans: Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Shri Thanedar, Suhas Subramanyam, Ami Bera and Pramila Jayapal. Khanna is considering a bid for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in the 2028 election.
Krishnamoorthi lost the Democratic primary for the US Senate seat from Illinois.
(PTI)
