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California primaries mark Indian Americans' political evolution
Despite more losses than wins, the primaries showed the coming of age of Indian American politics
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Ishani Duttagupta - Thu, 18, Jun 2026
- 12:30 EDT
- 38
Ro Khanna, Nithya Raman and Ami Bera. / File Photo
The recent California primary election cycle offers a defining takeaway for the Indian American community and candidates - that they are deeply woven into the fabric of mainstream American politics.
They compete across the entire political spectrum—running as Democrats and Republicans, progressives and moderates, incumbents and challengers, insiders and outsiders. It is no longer enough to simply appear on the ballot; they are now actively contesting against one another, aiming for executive offices, defending hard-won incumbencies and weathering losses.
A few Indian American candidates, who ran for the primaries of the mid-term election in California, faced defeat. But the wave of candidates from the community is proving that loss is simply part of the political pipeline.
Also read: How Indian Americans fared: California New Jersey primary takeaways
Among those who ran were Democrats Saikat Chakrabarti, 40, who contested California’s 11th Congressional District in San Francisco; California Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains, a physician who ran in the 22nd Congressional District covering Bakersfield; and Rakhi Israni, an attorney and entrepreneur, who campaigned for the 14th Congressional District.
None made it to the November run-offs, but for these candidates, the primary is hardly the end of the road, political insiders tell New India Abroad.
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