Keep an eye on the new and/or younger cohort lining up to fill the gaps.
Two incumbent Indian American Congressmen have lost their party primaries and will not be contesting for seats on Capitol Hill come November. The original five, and then 6, members lost Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, whose term ends in January; And Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Michigan, a more recent member of Congress, leave Capitol Hill at the same time.
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The irony is the loss within their own party, a Democratic Party undergoing soul-searching and unifying voices in the midst of not just a surge of their Democratic Socialist wing, but also a desire for change – elements have now brought the opponents of Thanedar and Krishnamoorthi to the fore. Thanedar lost to democratic socialist Donavan McKinney, and Krishnamoorthi fell to Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton.
Way back in 1956, the first Indian American, Dalip Singh Saund, was elected to Congress from California. Then, after a very long hiatus, Dr. Ami Bera became the first of the new group of legislators to make it into the House. Just two years ago, in 2025, six Indian Americans were sworn into office. And not to forget, Senator Kamala Harris, D-California, who chose to run for Vice President and then a candidate for President.
Over the years, the rising number of Indian Americans in the ‘Samosa Caucus; of Reps. Ami Bera, D-California, Ro Khanna, D-California, Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, and Krishnamoorthi, were joined by Suhas Subramanyam, D-Virginia, and Thanedar. While they may be down to 3 lawmakers till November, there is still hope that new blood will join the group – viz. Dr. Amish Shah, D-Arizona, who won his primary from the First District in the July primary. And another aspirant for the US House, Nida Allam from North Carolina.
Not only that, the community has a younger generation of aspirants running for other offices of importance – Los Angeles Councilwoman Nithya Raman, a candidate for Los Angeles Mayor, has a good chance of being in the runoffs for the November general election pitted against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. A few days ago (August 3), the Western States Carpenters Union endorsed her candidature. “This is big. The union represents tens of thousands of working people who build this city, and today they are standing with us,” Raman said.
Not only those running currently for office, but those who hold a strong potential of raising the momentum, such as longtime North Carolina lawmaker Jay Chaudhuri, currently a State Senator, or Virginia Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi, Virginia State Senator Kannan Srinivasan.
The Indian American community now has two Lieutenant Governors positioned in two very important states, and their decisions regarding future public life are a hopeful indicator that the political participation of this group is far from diminished. Add to these two the possibility that Nabilah Islam Parkes of Georgia, who won her primary for Lt. Gov., will fare positively in November.
New Jersey stands out as one of the most impressive states for Indian Americans who have been active in politics and public policy circles for decades. Currently, not only are there 70 elected officials up and down the ballot, but also 2 candidates running for the US House of Representatives – Jay Vaingankar and Tina Shah. It also has 2 Indian Americans, Vin Gopal and Raj Mukherji in the NJ State Senate, 5 State House members, at least 4 Mayors, and numerous City Councilors and School Board members.
Georgia holds the hope for sending several Indian Americans to the State Senate and House come November. For Georgia State Senate the hopefuls include – Saira Draper from District 44; Rahul Garabadu for District 7; For the Georgia State House – Jyot Singh from District 97; and Akbar Ali for District 106.
“In recent years, we’ve seen what’s possible when Indian and South Asian Americans step up to flex our political power. Progress doesn’t stop at winning elections—it’s about championing the causes that matter most to our communities and creating a future where everyone can thrive,” says Indian American Impact, a PAC dedicated to growing the power of Indian Americans at the local, state and national levels.
According to IA Impact’s calculations – In Washington State alone, at least 11 people of Indian/South Asian heritage, hold office, ranging from school boards to the US House of Representatives.
In California, which has the largest Indian American population (900,000 according to IAImpact), at least 41 individuals are listed by IAImpact. They include numerous City Council members, three judges, a mayor, a couple of school board members, and a State House lawmaker, apart from the aforementioned national leaders Bera and Khanna. (iaimpact.org/state/California).
Illinois has 16 officials at different levels including 2 in the State House, and a few running in November (https://iaimpact.org/state/illinois/). For Indian Americans in Illinois and elsewhere, the loss of Krishnamoorthi will be felt. He was among the most visible and vocal of all Capitol Hill members, one who kept his grassroots connection not just with his own community, but with his constituents. There are nevertheless, some potential members who in coming years, may shoot for higher office, such as Illinois State Senator Ram Villivalam, and State House member Kevin Olickal.
“Impact is working to make California a bastion for South Asian candidates. Not only will we continue to increase our representation throughout the state at the local, state, and federal level, we will build a base of power, consisting of passionate volunteers and donors, to support qualified and talented candidates all over the country,” IAImpact says.
New York State, which boasts the 2nd largest concentration of Indian Americans (estimated 600,000) has fewer than what could be expected, but a strong contingent. Now with Mayor of NYC Zohran Mamdani leading the pack, there are 16 elected officials from State Senate down to school board. (iaimpact.org/state/new-york/) But at least one Republican (Komatireddy) is running for Attorney General, and two Democratic candidates aiming for Capitol Hill, Lisa Kaul, and Vichal Kumar.
Texas boasts at least 23 elected officials of South Asian heritage, going by IAImpact data. (https://iaimpact.org/state/texas/); Virginia at least 16 at all levels, including Rep.Subramanyam’s re-run for the US House. (https://iaimpact.org/state/virginia/); Pennsylvania with 17 incumbents with several City Council members and School Board members, but higher up, a District Attorney Joe Khan, a County Commissioner Neil Makhija, a State Senator Nikil Saval, and a couple of State House members Arvind Venkat and Tarik Khan (https://iaimpact.org/state/pennsylvania/).
Ohio, which was among the first states to elect Indian Americans to office now has a Mayor of one of its major cities (Aftab Pureval of Cincinnati), has a Judge, several City Council members, and a State House member. (https://iaimpact.org/state/ohio/)
Michigan, which till January 2027, will have an Indian American in Thanedar on Capitol Hill, has some notable elected officials in its State House, viz. Padma Kuppa and Ranjeev Puri, and a State Senator of many years standing Sam Singh (https://iaimpact.org/state/michigan/)