Indian-American candidates win early US midterm races; Ramaswamy loses Ohio governor bid

Indian-American candidates won several early races in the United States midterm elections held on 3 November, while Republican Vivek Ramaswamy lost his bid to become governor of Ohio.

Indian observers were closely tracking 57 races in which Indian-American hopefuls were running for seats in Congress, state legislatures, governorships and local government. Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential contender, had the endorsement of US President Donald Trump. His defeat was one of the first major setbacks reported in the counting.

Early wins in Congress and state races

Democrat Pramila Jayapal was re-elected to the US House of Representatives from a Washington state district. The Associated Press called the race for her after she secured 87.47 per cent of the vote. In other states, Suhas Subramanyam in Virginia, Aruna Miller in Maryland and Pia Dandiya in Florida were also projected winners in early results.

At 10.15 am IST on Wednesday, Democrats were projected to take control of the House from the Republicans. The Senate contest was still close, with Democrats ahead as the counting continued.

The Indian-American candidates ran across the political spectrum. Many were Democrats, but at least nine were Republicans, including Ramaswamy. One Indian-American news service tallied the 57 candidates, though the party-wise breakdown was not yet complete.

What comes next

More results were still awaited at the time of reporting, so the final tally for Indian-American candidates could change. Officials have not yet confirmed outcomes in every race.