Mixed bag for Indian-Americans: Pia Dandiya wins, Vivek Ramaswamy loses in Ohio

It was a mixed election night for Indian-American candidates on Tuesday, with Democrats securing key victories even as prominent Republican candidates such as Vivek Ramaswamy were defeated, as a Democratic wave swept key battlegrounds.A profile image of Indian-American candidate Pia Dandiya, a former high school principal, who became the newest Indian-American to be elected to the US House, defeating Republican Casey Askar in Florida's 22nd Congressional district, in the 2026 US midterm elections. (@PiaforCongress/via PTI)Pia Dandiya, an educator, won the House of Representatives seat from Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, defeating her Republican rival, Casey Askar, 51.9% to 48.1% with 99% of the vote counted. Dandiya’s victory, which will expand the “Samosa Caucus”—a group of congressional representatives of Indian origin—came as part of a broader trend in which Democratic candidates won despite recent Republican efforts to redraw Florida’s congressional boundaries.Indian-American doctor-turned-politician Amish Shah is also poised to win the House of Representatives election from Arizona’s 1st district. After narrowly losing his bid in 2024, Shah is currently maintaining a comfortable 11-point lead over his Republican rival.Veteran Democratic lawmakers Ami Bera and Pramila Jayapal won re-election comfortably, even as Suhas Subramanyam, who entered the House in 2024, won a decisive victory to secure a second term. Congressman Ro Khanna, widely expected to be a candidate in the 2028 presidential election, is also leading his Republican rival, Ritesh Tandon, another Indian-American, by 44 points.Elsewhere, Democrat Nithya Raman remains locked in a close battle in the Los Angeles mayoral election with incumbent Karen Bass. With roughly 50% of votes counted, Raman trails Bass by just over 8,000 votes in her bid to lead America’s second-largest city.Republican candidates such as Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio and Saritha Komatireddy in New York were decisively defeated. Armed with an endorsement from President Donald Trump in a Republican-leaning state, 41-year old Ramaswamy was widely thought to enjoy key advantages in his bid to become Ohio’s first Indian-American governor. However, Ramaswamy proved unable to avoid a major Democratic wave in the state, powered by anger at President Trump’s handling of the economy and the war in Iran. His Democratic rival Amy Acton also relentlessly attacked Ramaswamy for his sizable fortune, portraying the entrepreneur-turned-politician as an out-of-touch Trump acolyte at a time of considerable economic distress for voters. Ramaswamy didn’t help matters with his own missteps, including an ill-considered attack ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother, which even Republican Party members roundly condemned.Komatireddy’s bid to become New York’s next Attorney General was also an uphill battle, given the Democratic Party’s dominance in the state. While Komatireddy drew attention for her sharp debate performances, incumbent Democrat Laetitia James defeated her handily, 60-40.