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Two Indian Americans vie for Georgia Senate seat in Gwinnett
The seat is currently held by Democratic State Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes of Duluth, who is running for Georgia insurance commissioner.
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Malvika Choudhary - Mon, 23, Feb 2026
- 15:58 EST
- 40
(L-R) Jyot Singh and Rahul Garabadu / LinkedIn
Two Indian American Democrats announced campaigns for Georgia State Senate District 7, highlighting immigration, civil rights, education funding, and the rising cost of living as central issues in a fast-growing Gwinnett County district.
Jyot Singh, an organizer and entrepreneur raised in Norcross, and Rahul Garabadu, a civil rights attorney and former voting rights lawyer, are seeking the Democratic nomination in the district, which includes parts of Norcross, Duluth, and Peachtree Corners.
Also Read: Democrat Jay Vaingankar on why he’s running
Singh launched his campaign this week, describing his candidacy as rooted in lived experience and long-term community organizing in Gwinnett County.
In a public announcement, Singh said he grew up in Norcross without health insurance and began working at a young age to help his family remain in their neighborhood. He cited his role in managing the renewal of Gwinnett County’s Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, which he said resulted in $1.4 billion in funding for Gwinnett County Public Schools.
Singh is a graduate of the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology and Yale University, and his background includes civil rights advocacy and political organizing in Georgia, including work during the 2020 election cycle.
His campaign priorities include ensuring that Gwinnett County’s economic growth benefits working-class families across Norcross, Duluth, and Peachtree Corners, and representing a district he has described as a mix of high-tech industry, immigrant-owned small businesses, and long-established working-class neighborhoods by serving as a bridge between grassroots organizing and state government.
Also entering the race is Garabadu, a civil rights attorney and former voting rights lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union. The Norcross resident is a graduate of Georgetown University and Harvard Law School.
His legal work has included cases involving redistricting, access to the ballot, jail conditions, and discrimination against children with disabilities. He has said he left his federal post after changes to civil rights enforcement at the Department of Justice.
In announcing his candidacy, Garabadu said his campaign will focus on lowering the cost of living, including housing, grocery, and healthcare expenses, expanding Medicaid, protecting access to the ballot, and opposing federal and state actions he says disproportionately affect immigrant communities.
Georgia State Senate District 7 has undergone significant demographic and political change over the past decade. The district is among the most diverse in the state and has trended Democratic in recent election cycles, reflecting broader shifts in Gwinnett County, once a Republican-leaning suburb and now a competitive political battleground.
The seat is currently held by Democratic State Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes of Duluth, who was elected in 2022. Parkes has announced she will not seek reelection as she is running for Georgia insurance commissioner, opening the District 7 seat for a contested Democratic primary.
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