Members Of The ‘Samosa Caucus’ Get Elected To American Congress
Four members of so-called ‘Samosa Caucus’ were re-elected in Tuesday’s mid-term elections. Wondering what is the ‘Samosa Caucus’? It is a term especially used for lawmakers of Indian descent working in the US Congress.
Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna and Ami Bera are the house candidates who got re-elected in the recent poll. While Democrat Josh Kaul was elected as the Attorney General’s position in Wisconsin state.
In the eighth congressional district of Illinois, Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi defeated another Indian-American JD Diganvker from Republican Party by a comfortable margin of more than 30%.
From the Seventh Congressional District of California, Dr. Ami Bera got re-elected for the fourth consecutive time by defeating Republican Andrew Grant by a small 5% margin.
While in Silicon Valley, Democrat Ro Khanna defeated Republican Ron Cohen, with a huge difference of 44% in the 17th Congressional District of California. And Pramila Jayapal, the only India-American lawmaker got re-elected from Washington State by defeating Republican Craig Keller by a massive 66%. Hence, together with the only Senator of Indian descent, Kamala Harris, they call themselves teasingly as the ‘Samosa Caucus’. Harris won from California in 2016 and did not face a re-election as she has a six-year term.
Though, half a dozen Indian-Americans failed to make it to House of Representatives; Wisconsin State-based Josh Kaul made history by becoming the first India-American, Attorney General from the State by defeating incumbent Brad Schimel, which shows a positive sign in the Indian community growing in the US politics.
Kaul will be the second Indian-American Attorney General after New Jersey’s Gurbir Grewal. Kaul will also come in as the fourth Indian-American to win a state-wide election, which sets the stage for him to run for other higher offices. The first was Piyush Bobby Jindal, elected Louisiana governor in 2007 who was followed by Nikki Haley, elected South Carolina governor in 2010; both Republicans. The third is Kamala Harris.
Another Democratic and lawyer, Nima Kulkarni defeated Joshua Neubert from the GOP and made her maiden entry into the Kentucky Assembly from State District 40.
In the Arizona Assembly from State Legislature District 24, Amish Shah made his entry. And Mujtaba Mohammed entered the North Carolina State Senate from the Senate District 38. Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri, an accomplished entrepreneur, was re-elected to North Carolina Senate from the State Senate District 15.
The rise in the participation of young and ambitious India-Americans in the US political scenario indicates the desire of this small ethnic community, which is also full of potential, to lead and make their presence felt in the country.
