Highlights
- Democrats win control of both chambers of Congress in a major setback for President Donald Trump.
- Pia Dandiya becomes the latest Indian-American elected to the US House from Florida.
- Ami Bera wins an eighth term, while Pramila Jayapal secures a sixth.
- Aruna Miller is re-elected as Maryland's lieutenant governor.
- Vivek Ramaswamy concedes defeat to Democrat Amy Acton in Ohio.
- Kerala-born Nithya Raman remains in a closely contested Los Angeles mayoral race in the latest available results.
INDIAN AMERICAN Democrats Suhas Subramanyam, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, and Ami Bera win in US midterm elections, while Aruna Miller retained her Maryland post and Pia Dandiya wins a seat in Florida. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy loses the Ohio governor's race despite president Donald Trump's backing.
The victories came as Democrats made sweeping gains nationally, winning control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate for the first time in Trump's second term. The results are a major setback for the president, whose party had controlled both chambers. Democrats are now positioned to block legislation, scrutinise the administration and investigate its policies.
Indian American candidates made gains across Congress, state governments and local politics, with victories for Democrats and Republicans facing a mixed electoral verdict.
New faces and re-election victories
Pia Dandiya, a Democrat and former high school principal, won Florida's 22nd congressional district, defeating Republican Casey Askar. She secured around 51.9 per cent of the vote, according to reported results, becoming the latest Indian American to enter the US House.
Suhas Subramanyam secured a second term representing Virginia's 10th congressional district. NBC News projected his victory with about 82 per cent of the expected vote counted, putting him on around 63 per cent against Republican Dave Beckwith's 35 per cent. Independent candidate Ahsen Malik was also in the race.
Subramanyam, 40, first entered Congress in 2025 after winning the 2024 election. He became the first Indian American elected to Congress from Virginia.
In Maryland, Aruna Miller retained her position as lieutenant governor, winning another term alongside Democratic governor Wes Moore, who was also re-elected. Their ticket defeated Republican challengers Rob Krop and Dan Cox.
Miller's victory maintains Indian American representation in one of the highest executive offices at state level in the US.
Established lawmakers retain their seats
Several prominent Indian American Democrats also secured victories in congressional contests.
Ro Khanna won California's 17th congressional district with 72 per cent of the vote, defeating Republican Ritesh Tandon, an Indian American entrepreneur.
FILE PHOTO: Aruna Miller (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Pramila Jayapal secured a sixth term representing Washington's 7th congressional district, winning around 87.5 per cent against Republican Nirav Sheth.
Ami Bera, a physician-turned-politician, won an eighth term in California's 3rd congressional district, defeating Republican Robb Tucker.
Bera, 61, is the longest-serving Indian American in Congress. First elected in 2013, he has focused on healthcare and public health, as well as US diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific region.
He serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee as ranking member of its Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific. He is also a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Jyot Singh makes history in Georgia
Another significant victory came from Georgia, where Democrat Jyot Singh defeated Republican Yassin Moghazy in House District 97.
Singh, a Yale-educated community organiser in his twenties, became the first Sikh American and the first Indian American elected to the Georgia General Assembly.
His victory was celebrated by members of the Sikh community, who greeted him with the traditional call, "Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal".
Singh said in a post on X: "We won!!! Thank you Georgia! I'm honoured to be your representative-elect in HD-97."
Other Indian American Democrats also won state and local contests. Josh Kaul secured a third term as Wisconsin attorney general, while Aparna Raj won the Ward 1 seat on the Washington DC Council.
Ramaswamy loses Ohio governor's race
Ramaswamy suffered one of the biggest defeats among Indian American candidates, losing the Ohio governor's race to Democrat Amy Acton.
Acton secured around 50.9 per cent of the vote against Ramaswamy's 45.8 per cent, according to NBC News projections. Her victory makes her the first woman elected governor of Ohio and ends nearly 16 years of Republican control of the governor's office.
Ramaswamy, 41, had received Trump's endorsement, with the president travelling to Ohio to campaign for him. He also had support from wealthy donors, including Elon Musk and Jeffrey Yass, and invested more than $36 million of his personal fortune in the campaign, according to reports.
Conceding defeat, Ramaswamy said: "It was a tough race. It was bitter at times in both directions."
He added: "All of us in this room should be rooting for the success of her administration."
Ramaswamy had previously contested the Republican presidential nomination against Trump in 2024 and later worked with Musk on the administration's Department of Government Efficiency initiative.
Saritha Komatireddy concedes defeat
Another Republican Indian American candidate, Saritha Komatireddy, lost the New York attorney general's race to Democratic incumbent Letitia James.
Komatireddy, who had Trump's endorsement, thanked her supporters and volunteers after conceding defeat.
In a post on X, she said: "I'm deeply grateful to the thousands of volunteers, supporters, and everyday New Yorkers who believed in our campaign and our vision for a safer and stronger New York. I'm proud of the campaign we ran."
She said the campaign had demonstrated that politics did not have to be about division and hate.
"Ultimately, that's what public office is about – public service means serving people, not celebrity or personal gain," she said.
Other Indian American candidates who lost included Mahesh Ganorkar, who was defeated by Democratic incumbent Valerie Foushee in North Carolina's 4th congressional district, and Anil Kumar, who contested Michigan's 11th district as an independent.
US-VOTE-CALIFORNIALos Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman speaks during an election night watch party at the Greek Theatre plaza in Los Angeles, on November 3, 2026. (Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP via Getty Images)
Kerala-born Nithya Raman in close mayoral contest
One of the important Indian American races still awaiting a final result is the Los Angeles mayoral contest involving Kerala-born Democrat Nithya Raman.
Raman, a city council member, is challenging incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, with early results showing a narrow lead for Bass.
The latest figures published by NBC Los Angeles showed Bass with 50.8 per cent and Raman with 49.2 per cent, with about half of the expected vote counted. The race was still too close to call.
Raman, 45, launched her challenge after previously being a political ally of Bass. Her campaign focused on homelessness, housing, public safety and what she described as pay-to-play politics at City Hall.
The result could have wider significance for Indian American representation in major American cities.
The election results have wider implications for the final two years of Trump's presidency.
Democrats made major gains in traditionally Republican areas, winning control of both chambers of Congress. Their victories were driven in part by voter concerns over the cost of living, the economy, the war with Iran and the state of American democracy.
More than 210 million Americans were eligible to vote in elections covering all 435 House seats, 37 Senate seats, 36 governorships and several state and local offices.
(with inputs from agencies)
