The elections are likely to see more Indian Americans in the House.
Washington:
The upcoming November 3 US election could well see the expansion of the so-called “Samosa Caucus,” a term coined by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi for the informal grouping of Indian-American lawmakers, according to the latest congressional polls from the states.
The “Samosa caucus” is made up of five Indian-American legislators, including four members of the House of Representatives and Senator and Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
In the House of Representatives, the majority of seniors Dr. Ami Bera, Congressmen Ro Khanna and Krishnamoorthi along with Pramila Jayapal, who is the first and only Native American woman in the House, are expected to be re-elected on November 3.
It is likely that Ms. Jayapal, 55, in the new Congress next year will have the company of Dr. Hiral Tipirneni.
Tripirneni, the emergency room physician, leads, albeit by a narrow margin, against incumbent Republican David Schweikert in Arizona’s sixth congressional district.
He has been endorsed by top leaders of the Democratic Party, including former Vice President Joe Biden, the presidential candidate.
Former State Department diplomat Sri Preston Kulkarni leads by five percent against Republican rival Troy Nehls in the 22nd Congressional District of Texas, which this time is a free seat.
Kulkarni, 42, had narrowly lost the 2018 congressional elections. Local media and political pundits are giving him a greater chance to enter the House of Representatives. He hopes to be the first American Indian to be elected to the House for Texas.
All eyes are on the Senate race in Maine, where Democrats are hopeful that Indian-born Sen. Sara Gideon will win the seat against powerful Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Gideon, 48, whose father is from India and mother from Armenia, has consistently held an advantage against Collins in almost every recent poll.
Senator Harris, 55, has written history by becoming the first American Indian and the first black and African American to be nominated as a vice presidential candidate by a major political party.
Dr Bera, 55, seeking his fifth consecutive term in the House of Representatives, is the longest-serving American Indian in Congress. It represents the 7th Congressional District of California. He is challenged by Republican Buzz Patterson, a military veteran.
In seeking a third term in Congress, Congressman Ro Khanna faces the challenge of another Indian-American, Ritesh Tandon, of the Republican Party. Khanna has raised a whopping $ 3.6 million for his election campaign against a measly $ 152,000 for Tandon.
Congresswoman Jayapal, seeking her third consecutive attempt, in such a short time has become one of the top Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives.
Representing the Washington State 7th Congressional District, Ms. Jayapal is being challenged by Republican Craig Keller, who is said to have little chance in the November 3 election.
Democrat Krishnamoorthi faces Preston Nelson of the Libertarian Party in the November elections for Illinois’ 8th Congressional District. The seat is a Democratic stronghold, so much so that the Republican Party canceled its primaries this year because no candidate ran for this seat.
There are some other American Indians running for Congress this year who are being given little opportunity by the media and political experts. At the same time, their presence in the electoral field reflects the growing interest of American Indians in joining the electoral politics of the country.
These include Rik Mehta of the Republican Party against popular Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey.
Manga Anantatmula is running for the House of Representatives of the 11th Congressional District of Virginia and Nisha Sharma of the 11th Congressional District of California. Both are from the Republican Party.
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