Washington: Indian-American candidates had a good start in the 2026 US midterm elections. Democrats Suhas Subramanyam and Aruna Miller won re-election, while Pia Dandiya won a congressional seat in Florida. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy was trailing in the Ohio governor’s race as votes were still being counted, PTI reported.
Subramanyam, 40, kept his US House seat in Virginia. Miller, 61, remained Maryland’s Lieutenant Governor. Dandiya, 39, won Florida’s 22nd Congressional District after defeating Republican Casey Askar.
Other Indian-American candidates were still waiting for results. Ro Khanna, Ami Bera and Pramila Jayapal were seeking re-election to the House. Amish Shah was trying to win his first seat in Congress, while Nithya Raman was in a close race for Mayor of Los Angeles against Karen Bass.
Why The Election Matters
Americans voted for all 435 House seats, 37 Senate seats, 36 governorships and many local offices. More than 210 million people were eligible to vote.
The election will decide whether President Donald Trump’s Republican Party keeps control of Congress. Republicans had a narrow 53-47 majority in the Senate, while Democrats needed to gain four seats to take control.
Early polls showed many voters were unhappy with the economy, the country’s condition, and Trump’s performance. The results will affect the last two years of Trump’s second term.
On election day, Trump said the US would stop giving Israel USD 4 billion in aid next year. Ro Khanna called it a “desperate attempt” to stop a “Blue tsunami”.
Hours before Americans went to the polls, US forces struck targets on Iran’s Qeshm island near the Strait of Hormuz. According to officials, the operation followed Iranian fire directed at an American aircraft.
