Indian Americans try to make it big in U.S. politics

By siliconindia   |   Monday, 21 June 2010, 22:11 IST   |    10 Comments
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Indian Americans try to make it big in U.S. politics
Bangalore: Indians began immigrating to the U.S. in large numbers about 50 years ago, but just two have been elected to Congress - Dalip Singh Saund in 1954 and Bobby Jindal, who entered Congress in 2004 and became governor midway through his second term. Currently, at least eight children of Indian immigrants are running for Congress or statewide office, the most ever in American history. Leading the way is Nikki Haley, born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, who is favored to win the polls for the Governor of South Carolina. Another Indian American trying to make it big is Manan Trivedi, a doctor and Iraq war veteran who recently won a Democratic primary for Congress in Eastern Pennsylvania. In California, Kamala Harris won the Democratic nomination for State Attorney General and is favored to win the election this fall. Joining the list is Raj Goyle, who is battling for the Democratic congressional nomination in his hometown of Wichita, Kansas. In 2008, J Ashwin Madia, a Minnesota Democrat who lost a congressional election in 2008, said he was the only major Indian-American candidate for Congress. However, today the list also includes Ami Bera from California, Ravi Sangisetty in Louisiana and Reshma Saujani in New York, who will face the upcoming primaries and Surya Yalamanchili who won a primary in Ohio.

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