Nithya Raman, Pooja Sethi Lead Push For Historic Election Wins

WASHINGTON, DC-Indian American candidates are pursuing historic firsts in the November 3 elections, from Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman’s bid to unseat Mayor Karen Bass to Democrat Pooja Sethi’s campaign to become the first Indian American and Hindu elected to the Texas Legislature. A poll published on October 9 put Raman ahead in the Los Angeles mayoral race.

A Manhattan Institute poll of likely voters put Raman at 38 per cent and Bass at 32 per cent, according to Political Wire. The margin of error was 4.6 percentage points. Raman would become Los Angeles’ first Indian American mayor. The mayoral race is nonpartisan. In the June 2 primary, Bass secured 34.3 per cent of the vote, compared with Raman’s 29 per cent.

In Austin, Democrat Pooja Sethi is contesting the open Texas House District 47 seat against Republican Jennifer Mushtaler after winning her primary with about 76 per cent of the vote. Sethi, an immigration lawyer and chair of the Travis County Democratic Party, would become the first Indian American and the first Hindu elected to the Texas Legislature.

She drew attention earlier this year after responding on X to Turning Point commentator Savanah Hernandez. “My heritage isn’t an insult. It’s my story. And like millions of Americans, it’s rooted in hard work, faith in this country, and service to our community. If that bothers you, that says more about you than it does about me,” Sethi wrote.

In Georgia, Democrat Jyot Singh is running for House District 97 in Gwinnett County against Republican Yassin Moghazy. Singh won the May 19 primary with 59.1 per cent of the vote. A Yale graduate endorsed by Congressman Ro Khanna, Singh would become Georgia’s first Sikh elected official, according to his campaign and community media reports.

In New York, Republican Saritha Komatireddy is challenging Democratic Attorney General Letitia James. Komatireddy is the first South Asian major-party nominee for statewide office in New York. Born in Brooklyn to parents who immigrated from India in the 1980s, Komatireddy is a former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and a former federal terrorism

A Siena poll conducted September 11-17 put James at 52 per cent and Komatireddy at 39 per cent, narrowing James’ lead from 18 points in August.

In Maryland, Democrat Amar Mukunda is all but assured of winning a state Senate seat after defeating Senate Majority Leader Nancy King in the June primary for District 39 in Montgomery County. No Republican filed for the seat. Mukunda won 48.6 per cent of the vote, compared with King’s 36.1 per cent.

Mukunda, whose parents are from India and Pakistan, would become Maryland’s first South Asian state senator, according to a campaign-based report in The Sentinel.

Also in Maryland, Hyderabad-born Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller is seeking a second term on Governor Wes Moore’s ticket.

The candidates’ campaigns follow other milestones in American politics. Zohran Mamdani became New York City’s first Indian American mayor last year, while Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley were the first two Indian American governors.

Indian American Impact, an organization that tracks political representation, counts more than 250 Indian Americans holding elected office. (IANS)