AI generated summary, newsroom-reviewed
1. Ro Khanna:
Ro Khanna is a member of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing. His family has a history rooted in India’s freedom struggle. Amarnath Vidyalankar — Khanna’s grandfather — was actively involved in the freedom movement, and was imprisoned alongside Mahatma Gandhi. Mr. Vidyalankar had also been part of the Parliament as a Congress MP.
It was Khanna’s parents who migrated to the USA. His mother was a school teacher born in Punjab, who migrated to the US. Khanna’s father was a chemical engineer from Indian Institute of Technology.
Ro Khanna was born in Philadelphia and studied economics at the University of Chicago. After finishing his studies at Chicago, Ro Khanna went on to study law from the Yale Law School.
In this year’s midterm, Ro Khanna is running to be re-elected from California’s 17th Congressional District. This area comprises parts of Silicon Valley.
He is a well-known critic of Donald Trump, and has given a call for the Democrats’ victory in the 2026 midterm and 2028 presidential polls. He has also been witnessed alongside Senator Bernie Sanders, especially in their campaign for the “California Proposition 40” or the billionaire tax.
2. Ami Bera:
Dr. Ami Bera is a physician and politician from California’s 3rd Congressional District. He is a member of the U.S House of Representatives, and is seeking re-election as the Democratic candidate from the district.
Dr. Bera’s parents were immigrants from Gujarat’s Rajkot. His father Babulal Bera made headlines in 2016, when he was convicted for illegally funding his son’s election campaign in 2010 and 2012.
Bera was born in the United States, and was the third Indian-America who was elected to the U.S Congress. His politics have focused largely on stronger India-U.S relationship and was also the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans from January 2015 to January 2017.
3. Pramila Jaypal:
Ms. Jaypal was born in Chennai, and traces her roots to Kerala. Her mother, Maya Jaypal, is a writer, and author of the famous book, “Bangalore: Roots and Beyond.” Pramila Jaypal is the representative of Washington’s 7th Congressional District, and is running to secure another term in office.
Her entry into the U.S House of Representative was a major feat, as she became the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the House of Representatives in the U.S. Since 2017, she has represented the 7th Congressional district in Washington.
Ms. Jaypal’s participation in politics has touched the contours of global concerns, particularly, her active advocacy against the deletion of names from the draft electoral rolls in India recently. On October 14, 2026, Ms. Jaypal voiced her concerns regarding the removal of names and endorsed her support to the non-violent protests in India.
The Indian government also responded to her statements, stating them to be “unwarranted, uninformed and an interference in India’s electoral system.
4. Suhas Subramanyam:
Suhas Subramanyam was the first Indian-American and South-Asian who was elected to the U.S. Congress from Virginia and the East Coast in 2024. He represents Virginia's 10th Congressional District. This time he is running for re-election from the same constituency.
Subramanyam is a second generation Indian immigrant, whose parents arrived in the U.S in late 1970s. His father served in the military and was born in Chennai, and his mother has her roots in Bangalore. Subramanyam spent a major part of childhood in Secunderabad, where his father was posted.
Subramanyam completed his education at Tulane University, where he studied Philosophy, and pursued the degree of Juris Doctor (J.D.) in Law from Northwestern University.
He has worked as a legislative assistant at the U.S House of Representatives, in the field of healthcare, Affordable care Act, veterans and agriculture. His career in public service began at the office of Suzanne Kosmas of Florida.
5. Vivek Ramaswamy:
Backed by President Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy is running for the office of Ohio Governor representing the Republican party. He won the Republican primary in May, 2026, and became the official nominee for the midterm election in November.
Ramaswamy’s roots travel back to Kerala. His father Vadakanchery Ganapathy Ramaswamy was an engineer at General Electric, and his mother Geetha Ramaswamy was a geriatric psychiatrist.
Ramaswamy was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and studied at Harvard University and then at the Yale Law School. Subsequently, he entered the domain of biotechnology and finance, and founded the organization Roivant Sciences. He also founded the asset management company “Strive.”
6. Saritha Komatireddy:
Saritha Komatireddy’s roots can be traced back to India’s Telangana. Her parents migrated to the United States in the 1980s in search of better opportunities, and settled in New York. Saritha was born in Brooklyn.
In the National Security and Cybercrime section, she acted as a senior member, and was entitled with several leadership roles. She worked as Chief of International Narcotics and Money Laundering, Deputy Chief of Appeals and Deputy Chief of General crimes, and the coordinator of computer hacking and intellectual property as well.
It was Saritha’s time as the Chief of Staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration that won her the major recognition. She won three Attorney General’s Awards, two Federal Law enforcement Foundation Prosecutor of the Year awards, and two Federal Drug Agents Foundation True American Hero Awards.
She is endorsed by Donald Trump in the race for New York’s attorney general, against Democratic Party’s incumbent, Letitia James, scheduled for November 2026.
Nithya Raman is a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing District 4, and is contesting the Los Angeles mayoral election this time.
She studied at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is an urban planner by profession. Few of her impeccable achievements include her role as co-chair of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council’s Homelessness Committee, and also co-founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homelessness Coalition.
She was elected to the City Council in 2020, and became the first Asian-American woman and the first South Asian to be elected. She joined the office again for a second term in March 2024.
8. Pooja Sethi:
Pooja Sethi is running for the Texas House District 47, and is the candidate for the Democratic party. She is an attorney by profession, and served as the chief of staff in the Texas legislature with Texas State Representative Vikki Goodwin, and the Chair of Travis County Democratic Party.
Before entering politics, Seethi worked as an immigration attorney with Catholic Charities, and worked to navigate the immigration system and fought for dignity and due process.
9. Amish Shah:
Amish Shah is a physician and a former State representative. In the midterm elections, he is running against republican candidate Jay Feely for Arizona's 1st Congressional District. His opponent is a former football league player, and has been endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Mr. Shah also contested the 2024 congressional election, and lost by a small margin to Republican candidate David Schweikert.
[Rh/AR]
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