New Delhi: From a Kerala-born city councillor bidding to lead Los Angeles to a Bengali-American challenger hoping to inherit Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat, Indian-Americans are mounting some of the most ambitious electoral campaigns in the US this year. Across gubernatorial, mayoral, congressional and attorney general races, Indian-origin candidates are seeking to convert the community’s growing demographic and economic clout into political power.
The US is holding a total of 39 gubernatorial elections this year to choose governors of states such as California, Arizona, Maine, Oklahoma, and Colorado. Besides this, polls are also scheduled for other important offices that include city mayor, city attorney, and state attorney general, among others.
Many of these races have contestants of South Asian origin who are seeking to make a mark in US politics.
Nithya Raman
Born in Kerala, 44-year-old Nithya Raman is a member of the Los Angeles City Council who represents District 4. She is the first Asian-American woman and the first South Asian to hold the office. Raman, an urban planner and mother of two, is now running for the mayor of Los Angeles. The Democratic Socialist is a graduate of MIT and Harvard, and promises to make LA “affordable for everyone”.
Rini Sampath
Sampath, 31, moved from Theni, Tamil Nadu, to the US at the age of seven, and is the first South Asian to contest the Washington DC mayoral election. The Democratic candidate currently works as a government contractor and earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Southern California in 2016.
Nirav Shah
The son of Indian immigrants, 48-year-old Shah is an attorney, public health leader, and economist, who has served as Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Shah obtained degrees in medicine and law from University of Chicago, before studying economics at Oxford University. The Democrat is aiming to become Maine governor “to fix housing, fund healthcare, feed kids, and fuel growth for all Mainers.”
Hetal Doshi
A first-generation Indian-American, Doshi is a practicing lawyer running for Colorado attorney general. The 47-year-old Democrat served as Assistant United States Attorney for over seven years and then as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for three years. She earned her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and studied economics and political science at Emory University.
Saikat Chakrabarti
Chakrabarti, 40, is a Bengali of Indian origin who is running in San Francisco for election to the US House to represent California’s 11th Congressional District. A Silicon Valley entrepreneur, he has served as Chief of Staff for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and is now aiming to succeed former House speaker Nancy Pelosi. Born in Texas, Chakrabarti did his graduation from Harvard University in 2007.
Other South Asian-origin people from Bangladesh and Pakistan are also running for key political positions across America. Some of them include Raaheela Ahmed, born to parents from India and Pakistan and running for Maryland State Senate, District 23; Bangladeshi-origin Nabilah Parkes who is contesting Georgia Lieutenant Governor elections; and Pakistani-American Furhan Ahmad who is running for election to the New York State Assembly to represent District 66.