"Samosa Caucus Is Strong": US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi On US Midterms

New Delhi: The Democrats have taken control of the US Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, with five Indian Americans heading to Congress.Krishnamoorthi, who represents Illinois' 8th Congressional District, said he was happy to see more Indian Americans entering US politics.Speaking to NDTV, the Democratic leader, who represents Illinois' 8th Congressional District, said the 2026 US midterm elections showed that Indian Americans are making their voices heard through their votes.He said he had coined the term 'Samosa Caucus' 10 years ago for Indian Americans serving in Congress."I coined a term 10 years ago called the Samosa Caucus. Those are the Indian Americans who are in the US Congress. And I am glad to see that the Samosa Caucus is strong and hopefully we will have more in the years to come," Krishnamoorthi said.#LeftRightCentre with @SehgalRahesha | US Midterm Elections 2026: Democrats Take Control Of US Congress US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (@RajaForIL) shares his views https://t.co/x9yHIV8jr1— NDTV (@ndtv) November 4, 2026He also welcomed the two new members and said he was looking forward to seeing what they would bring to Congress.Talking about the increasing political power of Indian Americans, Krishnamoorthi said the community had not yet reached its full strength. "I think it's growing, but I think that it has not peaked by any stretch of the imagination," he said.He said the increase in anti-Indian, anti-South Asian and anti-Hindu hate had encouraged Indian Americans to come out and vote.He gave the example of Texas, where Beau French, whom he called an anti-Indian bigot, lost the race for railroad commissioner to John Rosenthal. Krishnamoorthi said he had campaigned for Rosenthal a few weeks ago. "I think we are starting to flex muscles, and that's very important," he said.Asked what issues matter most to Indian American voters, Krishnamoorthi said the rising cost of living was one of the biggest concerns."The cost of gasoline, groceries, rent, utilities, the cost of health care, education and child care. Everything is too expensive, and that's because of two big reasons. One, the illegal and unconstitutional Iran war, as well as blanket tariffs on products from virtually every country in the world, which is jacking up the cost of living," he said."Indian Americans, like everyone else, are fed up. They've had enough," Krishnamoorthi said. He also called the election results a "historic rebuke" of US President Donald Trump.On whether the Democrats gaining more seats in Congress could improve India-US relations, Krishnamoorthi said it could bring more stability to ties between the two countries. He said the new Congress could work with Republicans to end the Iran war."I'm hopeful that this Democratic Congress, working even with Republicans, is going to bring an end to the Iran war," he said.Krishnamoorthi said the election of five Indian Americans to Congress was a good step, but the community needed to take a bigger part in politics. He said Indian Americans should vote in larger numbers, contest elections at different levels and support causes that affect the wider public."I think that Indian Americans need to vote in bigger numbers. And that will be important for the 2028 presidential election," he stated.He added that the community should stay involved in politics even after elections. "If they continue to do that, I think that you will see even greater successes in the years to come," Krishnamoorthy asserted.