57 Indian Americans to contest US midterm elections across 22 states
Washington: As many as 57 Indian Americans are seeking elected office across the United States in Tuesday's midterm elections, with contests ranging from the Ohio governorship to the mayoralty of Los Angeles and seats in Congress and state legislatures.
The candidates are contesting one US Senate seat, 11 House of Representatives seats, three statewide offices, 36 state legislative positions and six local posts. The tally, compiled by IANS, includes only candidates whose Indian heritage could be verified. Another 15 potential candidates of Indian origin have been excluded due to a lack of confirmation.
Among the most prominent contests is the Ohio gubernatorial race, where Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is challenging Democrat Amy Acton. Polling averages on Sunday showed Acton leading by approximately three percentage points.
In California, Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman is taking on incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. A final poll conducted by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, in partnership with the Los Angeles Times, put both candidates at 40 per cent, while 19 per cent of voters remained undecided.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is facing a challenge from Republican Saritha Komatireddy. An October 28 Siena poll showed James with a 54-39 per cent lead.
Maryland Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller, a Democrat, is seeking another term on the party's ticket, which faces a Republican challenge led by Dan Cox. In Massachusetts, independent candidate Shiva Ayyadurai is contesting the Senate seat held by Democrat Ed Markey.
Of the 11 candidates running for the House, four are incumbent Democrats: Ro Khanna and Ami Bera of California, Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia.
Two congressional contests feature Indian American candidates on opposing sides. Khanna faces Republican Ritesh Tandon in California's 17th District, while Jayapal is challenged by Republican Nirav Sheth in Washington's 7th District. Both constituencies are considered safe Democratic seats by major election forecasters.
Democrats Amish Shah in Arizona's 1st District and Pia Dandiya in Florida's 22nd District are contesting open seats rated competitive.
The remaining House contenders include Republican Mahesh Ganorkar in North Carolina and independent candidates Sandeep Dixit in Ohio and Anil Kumar in Michigan.
The 36 state legislative candidates are spread across 22 states, with California, Illinois and New York accounting for four each. Local contests include Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, Oakland City Council member Janani Ramachandran and Georgia's Fulton County Commission candidate Rohit Malhotra.
The elections are scheduled for November 3.
With IANS inputs