There were quite a few South Asians who ran for office on Tuesday. While there were a lot of disappointing results (Raj Goyle, Manan Trivedi, Ami Bera), there were some other victories around the country. Here is a great update that we got from the Indian American Leadership Institute on the candidates that they were following this past election cycle. Congratulations to the winners and hopefully some of the non-winners will decide to run again in a more favorable environment. 

Today, we thank all of the Indian Americans who participated in the political process leading up to the mid-term elections.  We thank you for taking the time to learn about the candidates that ran for office, for volunteering your time and making financial contributions, and for your support of IALI in our efforts to bring together Indian Americans throughout the nation to mobilize behind Democratic candidates.  

IALI is very proud of the Indian American Democratic officials serving in government today, and our community is proud of our Democratic candidates who have further strengthened the representative voice for Indian Americans in all levels of government. 

The Indian American Democratic candidates who stepped forward in a valiant effort to serve as our leaders deserve our recognition and we congratulate all of them today.  We loved working with everyone who ran for office, their campaign staff, and with the communities across the U.S. that got behind these candidates. 

IALI is excited to report on the wins from yesterday's elections, and to celebrate our returning and new elected officials. Some candidates did not win. However, we would like to acknowledge their spirit of political participation. 

We are enriched as a community by these candidates' great personal stories, as well as their tremendous campaign efforts. All of our candidates in this election cycle helped increase awareness that Indian Americans are not only viable candidates, but that the Indian American community is a powerful political force.

During the coming months, IALI will be reaching out to all of our candidates and their campaigns to hear from them about the dynamics of each race, and will share with you (on www.IALI.com) the lessons learned that will help the next crop of Indian American Democratic candidates.

***** Before you read on for the results below, we wanted to inform everyone that a key race, KAMALA HARRIS' bid for California Attorney General, is too close to call.  At the time of this communication, returns showed Kamala Harris slightly ahead of her opponent by less than a quarter of a percentage point with all precincts reporting.  There are tens of thousands of absentee and provisional ballots still to be counted.  We anticipate victory for this outstanding candidate who will serve as the highest ranking Indian American Democrat in elected office, and who has already received the most votes of any

Indian American candidate in the history of this nation.  We look forward to reporting the results of this important race as soon as it is determined, and we wish Kamala Harris and her campaign good luck in the coming hours and days.

*****

--------------------

Here are the wins that represent tremendous achievements for the Indian American Democrats in a year that has been uniquely challenging for Democratic candidates across the country: 

FIRST INDIAN AMERICAN DEMOCRAT ELECTED TO CONGRESS SINCE DALIP SINGH SAUND!

HANSEN CLARKE is the embodiment of the "American Dream" and he is the first Indian American Democrat elected to Congress since Dalip Singh Saud was elected from California in 1956. His father, who moved to the United States from pre-partition India in 1920, died when Hansen was 8 years old. His mother Thelma

Clarke, an African-American woman, raised her son on a crossing-guard salary. After graduating from Cornell, Hansen earned a Law Degree from Georgetown University. He went back to his roots of Detroit to dedicate his life to public service. After serving three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives, one

term as a State Senator, he defeated the seven-term incumbent, Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick in the primary by 10 percentage points! Hansen beating the Kilpatrick dynasty was a shock for many, but not for those who knew Hansen. His dedication, perseverance and support for the Democratic Party allowed him to beat Kilpatrick. Last night, Hansen cruised to a victory.

Hansen Clarke (D-MI)

Congressional District 13

WON with 79% (100,507) of the vote

 

THREE MAJOR WINS IN MARYLAND!

 

KUMAR BARVE won reelection to the Maryland House of Delegates and will be joined by two new Indian American Delegates who he mentored and took under his wing to expand the legacy of Indian American Democratic candidates – SAM ARORA AND ARUNA

MILLER.

 

KUMAR BARVE won his re-election for District 17 Representative for the Maryland House of Delegates. He continues to serve in his incredible leadership role of Maryland House of Delegates Majority Leader and as the longest serving Indian American in elected office.  He remains a stalwart leader for our community and we are grateful for all the work he has done to support all of the Indian American Democratic candidates this election cycle.

 

Kumar Barve (D-MD)

State Delegate District 17

WON with 23% (18,604) of the vote (3 elected)

 

SAM ARORA will be the District 19 Representative for the Maryland House of Delegates after years of hard work as a public servant. He has tirelessly worked for Senator Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama and other national campaigns. This is another strong step for Arora in what we believe will be many

years of future dedication to serving the Silver Spring community.

 

Sam Arora (D-MD)

State Delegate District 19

WON with 24% (20,258) of the vote (3 elected)

 

ARUNA MILLER is another up and coming player in Indian American politics.  Last night she won her race to become the District 15 Representative for the Maryland House of Delegates. For the past 20 years, Miller has lived in Montgomery County where she has been a Transportation Engineer and a Delegate on the Montgomery Democratic Central Committee. She has been a long time public servant working on causes such as voter registration, increasing community volunteering and fundraising for Democratic candidates and issues.

 

Aruna Miller (D-MD)

State Delegate District 15

WON with 19% (19,519) of the vote (3 elected)

 

JAY GOYAL WINS RE-ELECTION!

 

JAY GOYAL, first elected in 2006, became the State Representative for the 73rd Distict in Ohio representing Mansfield and other areas of Richmond County. He

was re-elected in 2008, and became Majority Whip. The election last night was no different, Jay Goyal will return to Columbus to represent the people of his district, and he fended off a tough challenge in his Republican leaning Ohio House district, defeating Republican David Nitzsche.  Named 40 under 40 by Time

Magazine, Goyal's name has been suggested as a future Governor. Tonight's win,

Goyal fortifies his role as a top leader in Ohio.

 

Jay Goyal (D-OH)

State House District 73

WON with 54% (17,601) of the vote

 

TRUE COMMUNITY LEADERS HEAD BACK TO CITY COUNCILS IN CALIFORNIA!

 

ANU NATARAJAN's strong Democratic voice will continue to be heard on the Fremont City Council.  Last night, Anu Natarajan won her first election as a Fremont City Councilmember after her initial appointment to the position. The uniqueness of her story begins with her appointment to this position right after becoming a United States citizen, and we commend her for hitting the ground running in public service as soon as she was granted citizenship. She earned the trust and respect of the voters for a decisive win over her opponent and she will now be back to work representing the needs of the growing city of Fremont.

 

Anu Natrajan (D-CA)

Fremont City Council

WON with 22% (13,652) of the vote (2 elected)

 

KANWALDEEP DHALIWAL, Kerman City Council incumbent won re-election in a key race for this area.  His constituents and our community have a lot to look forward to

with his continued leadership.

 

Kanwaldeep S. Dhaliwal (CA)

Kerman City Council

WON with 23% (473) of the vote

 

YOUNGEST LEGISLATOR IN THE U.S. RE-ELECTED!

 

KESHA RAM has served in the Vermont House of Representatives for the past two years and after her re-election last night, she continues to serve as the youngest legislator serving in Vermont and in the nation at age 23.  Her father, immigrating from India to the U.S. to receive a college education after his family survived the partition of India, and her mother, a Jewish woman whose family came through Ellis Island fleeing persecution abroad.  Kesha attended the Univesity of Vermont and the American University public law program.  Her campaign for the Vermont House of Representatives consisted mainly of engaging and empowering her neighbors, as she knocked on all of the doors in her district twice and worked hard to bridge the gap between campus and community. That experience confirmed for her that her district cared deeply about the issues she had already been working on in her outstanding pursuit of service on behalf of her community.  Her leadership is truly outstanding.

 

Kesha Ram (D-VT)

State House District Chittenden 3-4

WON with 41% (1,344) of the vote (2 elected)

 

--------------------

 

Below are the election results for all of the other Indian American Democratic

candidates (listed in alphabetical order) IALI was tracking who were on the

ballot yesterday:

 

Masarrat Ali (D-TX)

State House District 122

Lost with 23% (10,535) of the vote

 

Ami Bera (D-CA)

Congressional District 3

Lost with 43% (81,532) of the vote

 

Subru Bhat (CA)

Union City Council

Lost with 7% (1,844) of the vote

 

 

Om Chauhan (D-KS)

State House District 87

Lost with 34% (2,106) of the vote

 

Anna Duleep (D-CT)

State House District 142

Lost with 42% of the vote

 

Raj Goyle (D-KS)

Congressional District 4

Lost with 36% (71,866) of the vote

 

Pragati Grover (CA)

Saratoga City Council

Lost with 14% (2,828) of the vote (3 elected)

 

Debasish Mridha (D-MI)

State Senate District 32

Lost with 42% (32,690) of the vote

 

Mohammed Nadeem (CA)

Santa Clara City Council Seat 2

Lost with 45% (7,350) of the vote

 

Neil Patel (D-OH)

State Senate District 19

Lost with 31% (42,304) of the vote

 

Ravi Sangisetty (D-LA)

Congressional District 3

Lost with 36% (61,909) of the vote

 

Manan Trivedi (D-PA)

Congressional District 6

Lost with 43% (99,517) of the vote

 

Surya Yalamanchili (D-OH)

Congressional District 2

Lost with 34% (80,139) of the vote