US Midterm Elections 2026: From Ami Bera to Pia Dandiya, meet Indian-Americans who won amid Democratic blue sweep

Democrats winning control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The results also highlighted the strong performance of Indian-American candidates, with several securing victories in congressional and state-level elections.

1. Pia Dandiya
Pia was born and brought up in the US, her father said India continued to remain an important part of her life. Her parents had initially wanted her to pursue medicine and become a doctor, but Pia chose a different career path, focusing on education and public service. She studied at Harvard University before earning a master's degree in education from Boston University. Her interest in social issues developed at an early age. During her time at Harvard, she spent a break teaching English to children from underprivileged communities in Delhi. According to her father, the experience strengthened her desire to understand the challenges faced by disadvantaged communities.


2. Ami Bera
Ami Bera secured a historic eighth term representing California's 3rd Congressional District after defeating Republican candidate Robb Tucker. A physician by profession, Bera first took office in January 2013 and is the longest-serving Indian-American member of the US House of Representatives. He currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Before entering politics, Bera practised medicine.

3. Ro Khanna
Born in Philadelphia in 1976, Ro Khanna belongs to an Indian immigrant family. His parents moved to the US from India during the 1970s in pursuit of better opportunities. His father is a chemical engineer, while his mother worked as a substitute teacher. Before beginning his congressional career, Khanna taught economics at Stanford University and served as deputy assistant secretary of commerce under the Barack Obama administration. He earned an economics degree from the University of Chicago and later completed his law degree at Yale University.

4. Suhas Subramanyam

Suhas Subramanyam was born in Houston to Indian parents. His commitment to public service began during his time at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he helped organise volunteers to support the rebuilding of communities hit by Hurricane Katrina. He subsequently worked as a policy aide on Capitol Hill, contributing to efforts to improve healthcare access for millions of Americans. Subramanyam earned his law degree with honours from Northwestern University before joining the White House as a technology policy adviser under former US President Barack Obama. After leaving the administration, he established a small business in Loudoun County while also volunteering as an emergency medical technician (EMT) and firefighter.

5. Pramila Jayapal

Pramila Jayapal was born in India and moved to the US alone at the age of 16 to pursue her education at Georgetown University. She went on to earn an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. She became the first South Asian American woman to win a seat in the US House of Representatives. Immigration reform has been a central part of Jayapal's congressional agenda. Her work is particularly relevant to Indian professionals and families dealing with lengthy backlogs in employment-based green card applications.

6. Arun Miller
Born in Hyderabad on November 6, 1964, Aruna Miller moved to the United States with her family when she was seven years old. Years later, she made history by becoming Maryland's lieutenant governor. Miller pursued civil engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology and graduated in 1989.

7. Vivek Ramaswamy
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Indian immigrant parents, Vivek Ramaswamy rose to national political prominence during his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. Before venturing into politics, he established himself in the biotechnology industry and founded Roivant Sciences in 2014. After Trump's election victory, he was chosen alongside Elon Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). However, he later stepped away from the initiative to focus on his political ambitions.

8. Amish Shah
Shah was born in Chicago to Gujarati parents who immigrated to the US in the 1960s. He grew up in an Indian-American family with Jain and Hindu roots. He pursued his undergraduate studies and medical education at Northwestern University through its Honours Programme in Medical Education. He later earned a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley, on a full merit scholarship. Shah also completed his emergency medicine residency at a Level-1 trauma centre in New York City.

9. Nithya Raman
Born in Kerala in 1981, Raman relocated to the United States with her family when she was six years old. She completed her graduation at Harvard University before pursuing a master's degree in urban planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).