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Meet The Indian-American Candidates Contesting In US Elections 2024

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The countdown to the US Presidential Elections 2024 has begun and it’s a close contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump as the polls predict. Over the years, the US political landscape has changed dramatically and Indian Americans have achieved remarkable milestones, with five representatives in Congress and around 40 in state legislatures.

What makes this election more interesting is the fact that a few prominent Indian Americans are contesting this time. From the youngest candidate to the star candidate, here’s a list of Indian origin Americans contesting in the high stakes election.

Ashwin Ramaswami – The Youngest Candidate

Ashwin Ramaswami
(Photo Credit:
Ashwin Ramaswami
@ashwinforga)


Meet the youngest candidate to contest the senate elections from Georgia’s Senate District 48 seat on November 5. 

The 25-year-old, who just met the election age requirement to contest the polls, is expected to give a tough fight to Donald Trump’s close ally, Shawn Still, a Republican.

Who is Ashwin Ramaswami?

Ashwin Ramaswami
Ashwin Ramaswami
@ashwinforga


Born to Indian immigrant parents who hail from Tamil Nadu. Ramaswami grew up in Johns Creek. 

According to his election campaign website, Ashwin studied Computer Science at Stanford University and pursued a law degree at Georgetown University. 

While studying at Georgetown University, Ashwin supported students of various faiths.He also taught classes on Hindu philosophy and history and raised $100,000 for Dharmic programmes.

Ashwin decided to enter politics in 2020, NBC News reported. He has a strong background in cybersecurity. The Democrat worked with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) for three years before deciding to run for office.

Shri Thanedar – The Entrepreneur-cum-Politician 

Shri Thanedar
(Photo credit: Congressman Shri Thanedar
@RepShriThanedar)


The Congressman has had his share of struggles, which weren’t easy for him. When he moved to the US and became a US Citizen in 1988, he worked as a janitor and sometimes slept in his car.

Shri Thanedar stands for elections from the region around Detroit, Michigan. 

He lives in Detroit’s Palmer Woods neighbourhood with his wife, Shashi. He is a proud father and grandfather.

Thanedar represents the 13th Congressional District of Michigan. A win here for Biden in Michigan would be crucial for him to win the tough battle against his Republican rival Donald Trump. 

Thanedar was the first among five Indian American Congressmen in the House of Representatives to officially support Biden after his poor performance in the presidential debate in Atlanta.

But who is Shri Thanedar- his journey from a Janitor to a successful entrepreneur? 

Who is Shri Thanedar?

Shri Thanedar
(Photo CRedit: Congressman Shri Thanedar
@RepShriThanedar)

Born into a family in Southern India. 

In 1979, after completing his undergraduate and Masters’s Degrees in Chemistry, Thanedar came to America to complete his PhD in Chemistry at the University of Akron, which he earned in 1982. 

After completing his education, Congressman Thanedar worked as a researcher and eventually an entrepreneur, where he built successful companies. 

His companies employed hundreds of people and helped develop life-saving pharmaceutical drugs. 

In recognition of his success, Thanedar was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 1997, 2007, and 2016. In 2016, when Thanedar sold his business, he shared $1.5 million from the sale with his 50 employees, amounts based on their tenure. A company secretary who was the longest-serving employee received the largest bonus.

In 2018, he ran for Governor of Michigan but did not win. 

He served as a state representative in the Michigan House of Representatives (2020–2022) before he was elected to the US Congress. Thanedar has nearly a 100 per cent voting record in Congress and has brought over USD 15 million federal dollars for lead pipe removal, flood relief, home repairs and other community projects.

He was elected to the US House of Representatives in the 2022 elections.

Suhas Subramnayam- The Star Candidate

Suhas Subramanyam
(Photo Credit:Suhas Subramanyam
@SuhasforVA)

The 37-year-old carved his name in history when he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2020. He became the first Indian-American to serve in that body in the State’s 400-year history.

This year, he is all set to make history. If he wins the seat next week, Subramanyam will become the only seventh Indian-American ever elected to the House and the first from the East Coast of the United States.

Subramanyam is a State Senator in Virginia and is the favourite candidate to win a seat in the United States House of Representatives from Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.

He is running for the US House of Representatives from the 10th Congressional District of Virginia, which has a sizable Indian-American population. 

Who is Subramnayam?

Suhas Subramanyam
(Photo Credit:Suhas Subramanyam
@SuhasforVA)


The 37-year-old was born in Houston to Indian-American parents who migrated to the US from Bengaluru. 

He studied at Clear Lake High School and earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Tulane University. 

He shares two children with his wife Miranda. 

In 2015, he was appointed by then-President Barack Obama to serve as a White House technology policy advisor.

In 2019, Subramanyam became the first Indian-American, South Asian, and Hindu elected to the Virginia General Assembly.

In a statement released June 18, 2024, Subramanyam expressed his gratitude, saying, “I am honoured to be your Democratic nominee for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.” He is now set to face Mike Clancy from the Republican Party. The statement adds that 50,000 doors were knocked and $1.2 million was raised for his campaign, which ran for eight months. “I am so thankful for our volunteers, activists, supporters, staff, and family for coming together to pull off this incredible victory.” 

Sandeep Srivastava – The Nawab Candidate

Sandeep
(PPhoto Credit: Sandeep for Congress
@sandeepfortexas)


Srivastava won the Democratic nomination for the United States House in Texas’ third Congressional District. In 2022, Srivastava ran for the US House of Representatives from the same district but lost to Keith Self in the general election that year with 38.2 % of the vote.

He is running for US Congress to protect the right to vote, create opportunity for every American, and truly represent his community. Plano is a city in north Texas.

Who Is S Srivastava?

Sandeep
(Photo Credit: Sandeep for Congress
@sandeepfortexas)

Srivastava earned a degree from Lucknow University.

Indian-American Srivastava is a first-generation immigrant.

His career experience includes working as a broker and real estate consultant with RE/MAX, a data architect with Xerox Corporation, and a principal architect with Fidelity Investments.

To encourage immigrants like himself, Srivastava founded a non-profit organisation that assists fellow immigrants in transitioning to the United States and enabling them to achieve their American dream.

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