(Top L-R) Ghazala Hashmi, Zohran Mamdani, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Vivek Ramaswamy, Dimple Tansen Ajmera (Bottom L-R) Sangeeta Doshi, Ashish Vaidya, Jasmeet Bains, Saikat Chakrabarti, Pia Dandiya / (Top L- R) File Photo/ Wikipedia (Bottom L-R) Facebook (Sangeeta Doshi/ Public Policy Institute of California/ Wikipedia/ X (Saikat Chakrabarti) / LinkedIn (Pia Dandiya)

A significant number of Indian Americans are currently running for office across the United States. While attention is focused on high-profile campaigns scheduled for the 2026 mid-term elections, a substantial slate of state and local elections is also taking place later this year.

Several contests involving Indian American candidates are, in fact, worth watching in the off-cycle elections in November 2025. 

Ghazala Hashmi is the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, running against Republican John Reid in November 2025. If elected, Hashmi, who has served as a state senator since 2020, will be the first Indian American and first Muslim elected to statewide executive office in Virginia.

Also Read: IA Impact endorses Indian-origin candidates in local elections

In New York, state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani has secured the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City and faces former Governor Andrew Cuomo (running as an Independent) and Republican Curtis Sliwa, in a high-profile general election in November 2025.

Known as a firebrand democratic socialist, whose mother is the celebrated Indian filmmaker Mira Nair, his candidacy, built on proposals like a rent freeze and free city buses, reflects both the leftward energy in parts of the electorate and the increasing visibility of Indian-origin politicians in major urban centres.

Another Indian American candidate in a high-profile race is Dini Ajmani, who is running to be mayor of Hoboken in New Jersey. An MBA from Stanford University and a masters in computer engineering from the University of Texas, Austin, she was earlier assistant state treasurer and deputy assistant secretary of the US treasury department. Ajmani, who was born and raised in India, is focussed on the challenges of rising rents, infrastructure issues, and public safety concerns, in her election campaign.

In New Jersey, Mamta Singh is running for Jersey City Council At-Large and Sangeeta Doshi for Cherry Hill City Council. Singh moved  Jersey City 18 years ago and is the founder of JCFamilies, a support group which she started  for parents and playdates for children in her apartment in 2011. The idea of setting up the group was born after she went into postpartum depression because of the lack of a support system and not having any family members around.

“I have also started a platform just for the Indian community living in Jersey City, Hoboken, and the surrounding area, called Indians in Jersey City. We organize Indian events, such as the Indian Independence Day celebration in downtown Jersey City, and also provide a few other platforms for people to connect,” she says.

Her primary campaign issues are stable taxes, community safety and security, and expanding youth recreation programs. Singh will become the first Indian American to serve on the Jersey City Council if elected in November.

“The Indian community here doesn’t have politicians representing them, and from my experience of volunteering and running a not-for-profit organisation, I can connect in a big way with business owners, investors, and even students,” says Singh who feels that through her campaign she has been able to inspire many members of the community  to volunteer and start the journey of giving back.

Doshi, a Cherry Hill councilwoman first elected in 2017, was born in Jabalpur, India, and raised in the US from a young age. She has balanced a career in telecommunications and small business with public service. Her initiatives have focused on sustainability and public safety, earning recognition from local civic groups.

Her campaign highlights are sustainability, environmental protection, clean energy, and building parks and infrastructure that improves the quality of life of families. Doshi is an active member of the Indian Cultural Center and Indian Temple Association.  

In North Carolina, Dimple Tansen Ajmera, a four-term Charlotte city council member, is running for re-election to her At-Large seat. Born in Surat, Ajmera moved to the US in 2003 and was the first Asian-American and youngest woman to be elected to Charlotte’s City Council. A certified public accountant, she successfully championed affordable healthcare for thousands of city employees.

Ashish Vaidya, son of Indian immigrants, is running for the Centennial City Council in Colorado. Vaidya has taught political science at both high school and university levels. He emphasizes using data-driven solutions to address local challenges, including housing affordability, sustainability, and fiscal responsibility. In California, Rishi Kumar, a former Saratoga council member, is running for county assessor.

Indian American Impact (IA Impact), a political advocacy group focused on increasing representation of Indian-origin candidates, has announced endorsements for several local elections across the United States this cycle. The group highlighted candidates in New Jersey, North Carolina, and Colorado, emphasizing community service, public safety, and economic development.

“Indian American candidates are running for various offices and there are common issues around affordability of healthcare and housing which are top of the mind for both candidates and the voters,” says Chintan Patel, executive director of the Impact Foundation. He adds that Indian Americans and South Asians are also concerned about public health and availability of vaccines.

“Across the ranks, candidates and the community are concerned about immigration and rising racist rhetoric and discrimination,” he adds.

There is a strong interest among Indian Americans in the November 2025 elections, and even more so as attention builds toward the full federal cycle in 2026. 

“I see a great degree of enthusiasm in Virginia especially, my home state, among the Indian diaspora. Virginia and New Jersey are the two states that have off cycle elections every two years,” says Sanjeev Joshipura, executive director of Indiaspora, a non-profit organisation of global Indian origin leaders.

He feels that a combination of local and national issues are important for Indian Americans in the upcoming elections. “Local issues that pertain to the respective states, when it comes to topics like infrastructure, education, etc, and national issues that pertain to the administration's policies and governance at the federal level. This is usually the case in most off cycle or mid-term elections,” he says.

An issue that is of growing concern to Indian Americans now is the increasing vitriol that is being directed towards the community online, and sometimes through physical violence. “The diaspora will be evaluating the tone of the candidates on this matter,” Joshipura feels. He adds that to a smaller extent, the Indian diaspora might emotionally factor in their opinions about USA-India relations at this time, although states have much less influence on this subject than the federal government.

Analysts suggest that mental fatigue stemming from the intense November 2024 elections is contributing to a pullback among some major Indian American political donors. This exhaustion is compounded by the community’s ongoing effort “to absorb the daily changes in policy in Washington, D.C., relating to India and the community”, explains Jiten Agarwal, a Houston business leader and 2024 Republican fundraiser. Agarwal anticipates that issues such as US-India relations, current tariffs, and legal immigration policy will be central to the upcoming elections.

While the majority of Indian Americans continue to align with the Democratic Party, a growing number of candidates are running as Republicans at the federal, state, and local levels.

“The current polarized environment may be causing some Democratic-aligned Indian Americans to be reluctant to step forward as candidates or major donors, potentially dampening overall political participation on that side,” feels Robinder Sachdev, president of the Delhi-based think tank, Imagindia Institute, and a co-founder of the US India Political Action Committee. He adds that Indian Americans active in the Republican Party often gravitate toward moderate conservative positions like fiscal discipline and limited government.

“This focus on traditional conservative values—rather than the more populist or identity-driven rhetoric dominating parts of the GOP—creates an ideological mismatch that makes it challenging for these candidates to gain traction,” he says.

The most high-profile Indian American campaign for the US mid-term election next year is that of Republican heavyweight Vivek Ramaswamy for Governor of Ohio. Another important election for the Indian American community will be that of Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (Democrat-Illinois) who is running for the US Senate in 2026, rather than another term in the US House of Representatives. The seat is open since incumbent Senator Dick Durbin (Democrat) announced he would not seek re-election. 

“These candidacies illustrate the community’s growing reach — spanning both parties, different geographies, and levels of government. The Indian American community is far from monolithic, but several themes consistently resonate, with variations across generations, geographies, and political orientations.

A foremost concern in 2025 and looking ahead to 2026 seems to be a nagging concern among many of not being fully assimilated in the national climate. While there is broad support within the community for firm measures to address illegal immigration, unease arises when enforcement is accompanied by racial profiling or unnecessarily harsh treatment by certain agencies,” explains Sachdev. 

Some of the important races being run by Indian Americans in the 2026 mid-term elections include Democrat Pia Dandiya for Congress for Florida’s 21st district, where she is running to unseat Republican incumbent Brian Mast and Hetal Doshi for Attorney General of Colorado. Others include Tina Shah for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th District and Anuj Dixit for Congress in California, both Democrats. Dixit is running to defeat MAGA supporter Ken Calvert in a race that is seen as critical to the Democrats’ efforts to flip the US House in 2026.

Indian American California state lawmaker and daughter of Indian immigrants Jasmeet Bains seeks to topple Republican Representative David Valadao in a Congressional race for California’s 22nd district. Democrats hope that her win will help them take back the US House in 2026.

Democrat Saikat Chakrabarti is running for US Congress against veteran Democrat leader and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to represent San Francisco, California’s 11 th Congressional district. Raj Goyle, an entrepreneur and a former Kansas state House representative, is running for the New York state comptroller’s office.

The Democratic activist has announced a primary run against state comptroller Tom DiNapoli in 2026. Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur Ethan Agarwal has entered the California governor race of 2026 as a Democratic candidate.