WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Vivek Ramaswamy is running for governor of Ohio. Nithya Raman is challenging Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. In races receiving less national attention, dozens of other Indian American candidates are seeking seats in state legislatures and local government.
A tally released Monday counted at least 57 candidates of Indian origin on Tuesday’s ballots: one U.S. Senate candidate, 11 House candidates, three statewide candidates, 36 legislative candidates and six local candidates. The tally included only people whose heritage could be confirmed and excluded 15 potential candidates whose backgrounds could not be verified. It is a compiled count, not an official election category.
The closest contests include Ohio’s governor’s race. Acton leads Ramaswamy by about three points in one polling average; a Nov. 1 Siena poll put her ahead 49% to 43%. In Los Angeles, a UC Berkeley poll found Raman and Bass tied at 40%, with 19% of likely voters undecided. In New York, Republican Saritha Komatireddy is challenging Democratic Attorney General Letitia James, who led 54% to 39% in an Oct. 28 Siena poll.
The tally also includes Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, who is seeking reelection on the Democratic ticket, and independent Shiva Ayyadurai, who is challenging Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey. Ayyadurai is one of several candidates on the Massachusetts ballot.
Four of the 11 House candidates are Democratic incumbents: Ro Khanna and Ami Bera of California, Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, and Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia. Two races put Indian American candidates from opposing parties against each other. Republican Ritesh Tandon is challenging Khanna in California’s 17th District, while Republican Nirav Sheth faces Jayapal in Washington’s 7th. Both districts strongly favor Democrats, according to election forecasters.
Other House contests could be more competitive. Democrat Amish Shah is running for an open seat in Arizona’s 1st District against Republican Jay Feely. Democrat Pia Dandiya faces Republican Casey Askar in Florida’s 22nd District, another open seat reshaped by redistricting. Forecasters differ on the Florida race: some rate it a toss-up, while others give Republicans a slight edge.
Campaign filings show outside groups and candidates still spending in the final days. A super PAC reported spending about $14,000 on text messages supporting Dandiya on Oct. 30, bringing its reported support to roughly $220,000. Shah’s campaign reported $26,000 in contributions received that day and about $100,000 in late contributions over several days. Campaign finance reports come from committees and can be amended.
The 36 state legislative candidates span 22 states; California, Illinois and New York each have four. Local candidates include Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, Oakland City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran and Rohit Malhotra, who is seeking a seat on Georgia’s Fulton County Commission.
The tally captures a broad range of candidates, parties and offices, but not a single bloc of voters or a uniform political trend. Their election prospects vary sharply: some are in competitive statewide or House races, while others are challenging incumbents in districts forecasters consider safe for the opposing party.
