New Delhi: Control of the lower chamber of the US Congress or the House of Representatives became imperative for the Democrats Wednesday after Republicans snatched control of the upper chamber or the Senate after four years.
But several members of the lower chamber scripted history, which included first wins for members of the LGBTQ community. The tally of Indian-American lawmakers also increased by one and could go up further.
Lawyer Suhas Subramanyam, a Democratic Party candidate, became the sixth Indian-American lawmaker to be elected to the US House. The Virginia state senator also became the first person from the community to be elevated to the House from the US East Coast.
I am honored and humbled that the people of Virginia’s 10th District put their trust in me to take on the toughest fights and deliver results in Congress. This district is my home. I got married here, my wife Miranda and I are raising our daughters here, and the issues our… pic.twitter.com/rV1Kez0Evn
— Suhas Subramanyam (@SuhasforVA) November 6, 2024
He joined incumbent Democratic lawmakers Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal and Shri Thanedar—dubbed the ‘Samosa caucus’—who were all reelected.
A total of nine Indian-American lawmakers were gunning for the US house. Republican candidates Prasanth Reddy and Rajesh Mohan lost to their Democratic counterparts in Kansas District 3 and New Jersey District 3, respectively. Amish Shah, a Democrat, was leading in Arizona District 1.
1st trans lawmaker elected from Delaware
The House also got its first openly transgender lawmaker as Democratic candidate Sarah McBride won from Biden’s home state of Delaware. McBride had previously created history by being elected to the state senate.
“Delaware has sent the message loud and clear that we must be a country that protects reproductive freedom, that guarantees paid leave and affordable child care for all our families, that ensures that housing and health care are available to everyone and that this is a democracy that is big enough for all of us,” she said in a post on X after the win.
With counting still on, the results have only been announced for 378 of the 435 seats. Of these 180 have been declared for Democrats, with 198 for Republicans, as of 5.30 pm IST. Both parties are still short of the 218 half-way mark.
According to the Cook Political Report, 175 were solidly Democrat and 191 were solidly Republican. Beyond that, 69 seats were decidedly less certain, among them 43 highly-competitive races.
Previously, Republicans held a narrow majority with 222 seats to the Democrats’ 213.
Who’s doing better in swing seats
Among the 22 swing seats, Republicans were leading in nine and won Iowa district 3. Democrats won New Mexico District 2 and New York District 19 and were leading in the rest. There are still several seats left to be counted to make an accurate prediction on which party would win control.
Among the recognisable names, Democrat lawmaker Rashida Tlaib—who refused to endorse presidential candidate Kamala Harris—retained her seat in Michigan District 12. Tlaib has been a vocal critic of US policy with regards to Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi won her 20th term from California District 11. California is a solidly Democratic state and gave Harris its 54 electoral votes. Pelosi was among the key figures who had pushed for President Joe Biden to drop out of the race.
For the Democrats—with Trump being elected the 47th President of the United States and confirmation of Republican control of the upper chamber——winning the House would be crucial. Control of the lower chamber is important for carrying out the president’s legislative agenda. It has consequences for key policies linked to matters like immigration, healthcare and climate change.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: Modi congratulates ‘friend’ Trump on ‘historic election victory’, pitches stronger Indo-US ties