Washington DC: Two Indian Americans will face off in Washington state’s 7th Congressional District in the November general election, with five-term Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal set to take on Republican Nirav Sheth.
Jayapal, the incumbent, secured 83.3% of the vote in Tuesday’s all-party primary, while Sheth finished second with 10.8%, according to results with 53% of ballots counted. The Associated Press projected both candidates would advance to the general election.
Washington state follows a top-two primary system, under which the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation.
Jayapal, 60, became the first South Asian American woman elected to the US House of Representatives after winning her first term in 2016. Born in Chennai on Sept. 21, 1965, she moved to the United States at age 16 to attend Georgetown University.
Backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Jayapal has emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s leading progressive voices on Capitol Hill. According to her official congressional biography, she serves as Chair Emerita of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which represents nearly half of the House Democratic caucus.
Sheth, 40, was born and raised in Ahmedabad before moving to the United States in 2008 to study computer and electrical engineering, according to his campaign website. He joined the US Marine Corps as an aircraft mechanic in 2011 before briefly serving with the Lakewood Police Department in Washington state. He later left law enforcement because of injuries sustained during his military service.
Sheth entered politics in 2023 and is contesting his first election after a series of break-ins at businesses he owned in Washington state.
“The reason for me running for office is all this stupidity we’re dealing with because this administration is a complete failure,” Sheth said during an appearance on the Jason Rantz podcast in 2023.
Despite advancing to the general election, Sheth faces an uphill battle in the heavily Democratic district, which includes Seattle and surrounding communities and has been represented by Jayapal since 2017. The November contest will mark a rare race between two Indian Americans for a US congressional seat.
