Democrats surge in US midterms as Indian-American candidates score key wins

Democrats made major gains as Indian-American candidates won key congressional contests. Their advance threatened Republican control of Congress and dealt Trump a setback.Image used for representational purposes onlyWashington,Nov 4, 2026 09:34 ISTDemocrats made major gains in the US midterm elections, winning the governor's race in Georgia and moving closer to taking key Senate seats from Republicans, news agency Press Trust of India reported. The results were seen as a setback for President Donald Trump.Indian-American candidates Suhas Subramanyam, 40, and Pia Dandiya, 39, won US House of Representatives seats from Virginia and Florida, respectively. Aruna Miller, 61, was re-elected as Maryland's Lieutenant Governor, according to PTI.Dandiya, a former high school principal, became the latest Indian-American elected to the US House after defeating Republican Casey Askar in Florida's 22nd Congressional District. Subramanyam was re-elected from Virginia's 10th Congressional District.Indian-American Vivek Ramaswamy, who was backed by Trump, lost the Ohio governor's race to Democrat Amy Acton after a bitter campaign that divided the Republican Party. Ohio is the home state of Vice-President J D Vance. Democrat Nithya Raman, who was born in Kerala, was locked in a close contest with her former boss Karen Bass for the post of mayor of Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the US.Indian-American lawmakers Ro Khanna, Ami Bera and Pramila Jayapal were seeking re-election to the House, while fellow Democrat Amish Shah was contesting a competitive race in an attempt to enter Congress for the first time. Democrat Roy Cooper won the North Carolina Senate seat from the Republicans, while Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, another Trump-backed candidate, in South Carolina.Georgia made history as Keisha Lance Bottoms became the state's first Black governor after defeating Republican nominee Rick Jackson. Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff was also re-elected in Georgia. He is seen as a potential presidential candidate for the 2028 election.In Texas, a Republican stronghold, Democrat James Talarico was leading Trump-backed Ken Paxton in the Senate race. A victory would make Talarico the first Democratic senator from Texas in 38 years.In Michigan's 13th Congressional District, Democrat Donavan McKinney, who was backed by socialists, defeated Republican T P Nykoriak to win a House seat. McKinney had defeated Indian-American Shri Thanedar in the Democratic primary.More than 210 million Americans were eligible to vote in elections for all 435 House seats, 37 Senate seats, 36 governorships and several local public offices. Voting began at 6 am Eastern Time on Tuesday.Preliminary nationwide findings from CNN's voter poll showed broad dissatisfaction with the state of the country, the economy and Trump's performance as president, PTI reported. A Fox News voter survey found that the economy was the most important issue, followed closely by the state of democracy.Trump remained in his White House office with advisers during the day as Americans voted across the country. On Tuesday afternoon, he endorsed Republican candidates in a series of posts on X.House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told staff members and volunteers at a phone bank in Washington that the party was on the brink of dramatic change and of retaking the House. "We're going to deliver a Congress that actually puts the American people first," he said.At the White House, Trump watched pre-election results coverage on Fox News but criticised liberal commentator Jessica Tarlov. "Watching the Pre-Election Results on Fox News, but I can't stand Jessica Tarlov's voice DUMB AS A ROCK, but it's the voice that gets me. Have to go somewhere else until that LOSER is off the air. I'll be back later," he wrote on Truth Social.During the day, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin spoke to reporters about the Trump administration's achievements. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was seen entering the West Wing and indicated that he did not want to speak.In a post on X, Vice-President Vance highlighted the administration's efforts to reduce taxes over the previous year and a half. "We ended taxes on overtime. We ended taxes on tips. We ended taxes on Social Security," he wrote.The elections will determine whether Trump's Republican Party retains control of the House and Senate or whether the Democrats take control of at least the House, and possibly the Senate, for the final two years of his second term. The Democratic gains, including victories by Indian-American candidates and in key statewide contests, left control of Congress at stake.With PTI Inputs- Ends