Desi crisp, videshi filling: It is raining 'samosas' in the US midterms

New Delhi: Diwali this year turned out to be very lit for Indians. Rishi Sunak taking over 10, Downing Street in London saw celebrations across India. With Sunak becoming the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of the United Kindom, it is also time to cheer for Indian-Americans who won it big in the US midterm elections.

The US mid-term election results were indeed celebratory for the “Samosa Caucus”.

What is Samosa Caucus?

Samosa Caucus is an informal grouping of Indian-American lawmakers who are either part of the House of Representatives or the Senate. The term was coined by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi to give credence to the growing number of “desi” lawmakers in the US Congress.

While the caucus itself is relatively young, its purpose is the same as that of any other Congressional caucus – to pursue common legislative objectives, as reported in TOI.

Meanwhile, here are Indian-Americans who won the US mid-term election.

Shri Thanedar

Indian-American entrepreneur Shri Thanedar made history by becoming the first desi politician to win a seat in the United States (US) House of Representatives from the state of Michigan.

Thanedar took to Twitter to announce his victory, “We did it! With early returns showing us receiving 89.2% of the vote, I’m honored to be the next Representative in Congress for the 13th District! After the election was called in his favour, Thanedar took to Twitter and said.”

Thanedar spent the first 24 years of his life in Belgaum and Dharwad in Karnataka, and Mumbai in Maharashtra. Thanedar took up odd jobs to support his family after his father was forced to retire at the age of 55.

He immigrated to the United States in 1979 and earned a PhD from Akron in 1982, before doing an MBA from Fontbonne University in 1987, according to the Michigan House Democrats website. He paid for his education by working as a teacher’s assistant. He used to earn just $300 a month and send $75 to his family back in India.

After earning his PhD in Chemistry, Thanedar worked as a post-doctoral research scholar at the University of Michigan (1982-84). After entering the private sector as an entrepreneur, Thanedar built small businesses over the next 25 years. He is also a three-time recipient of the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award by Ernst and Young.

He is a pro-choice Democrat who supports expanding background checks for guns and a single-payer healthcare system.

Ro Khanna

Democrat Ro Khanna has won California’s 17th Congressional District for the fourth term to be re-elected to the US House. He was born in Philadelphia to middle-class immigrant Indian parents.

Khanna graduated with a BA in Economics from the University of Chicago and received a law degree from Yale University. Earlier, he taught economics at Stanford University, after which he went on to serve as the deputy assistant secretary of commerce in the Barack Obama administration.

Ami Bera

Ami Bera is the longest-serving Indian-American in Congress. She has been representing California’s 7th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives since 2013. .

Born and raised in California, he attended the local public schools, earning both his BS and MD from the University of California, Irvine. After graduating from medical school in 1991, he did his residency in internal medicine at California Pacific Medical Center, eventually becoming a chief resident. Congressman Bera also served as Sacramento County chief medical officer.

Raja Krishnamoorthi

Born in New Delhi, Raja Krishnamoorthi has won the 8th District of Illinois, which includes Chicago’s west and northwest suburbs, by securing 1,12,884 votes. He beat Republican Chris Dargis who received over 88,000 votes.

Raja earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University in 1995, and received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 2000.

Pramila Jayapal

Democrat Pramila Jayapal has won from Washington state’s 7th District. This is her fourth term in Congress. Jayapal, who was born in Chennai is also one of only two dozen naturalised citizens currently serving in the United States Congress. She is also a vice-chair of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus where she is the co-chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force.

Jayapal spent 20 years working in global public health and development and for women’s, immigrant, civil and human rights. She published her first book, ‘Pilgrimage to India: A Woman Revisits Her Homeland’ in 2000, followed by ‘Use the Power You Have: A Brown Woman’s Guide to Politics and Political Change’.

Indian-Americans as State representatives

Aruna Miller

Aruna Miller has become Maryland’s first Indian-American lieutenant governor. Born in Hyderabad, Miller moved to the US with her parents when she was seven and grew up in New York. She earned a BS degree in civil engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology and has worked as a transportation engineer for local governments in California, Virginia, and Hawaii. She moved to Maryland in 1990, where she worked for the Montgomery county department of transportation. She received the legislative champion award, women legislators of Maryland, in 2018.

Vandana Slatter

Washington state representative Vandana Slatter has been reelected to the legislature, representing the 48th district. Vandana has worked for over 20 years as a clinical scientist in leading biotech/pharma companies after receiving a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of British Columbia, Canada, a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Washington and a Master of Public Administration from the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington

Megan Srinivas

Megan Srinivas has become the second Indian-American woman to serve in the Iowa House. She is a physician by profession. She graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High School. She went on to receive undergraduate and graduate degrees from Harvard University and her medical degree with a certificate in teaching from the University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine residency at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and infectious disease fellowship at the University of North Carolina.

Arvind Venkat

Arvind Venkat is the first Indian-American to enter the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives. Born to immigrant parents, Venkat is the first Democrat to flip a Republican seat since 2006 in western Pennsylvania.

Nabeela Syed

23-year-old Indian American Nabeela Syed has won the election for the 51st House district of the Illinois state legislature. Syed, who became the first South Asian in the Illinois state legislature, will also be the youngest member of the state assembly.

Syed graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Political Science and Business Administration.

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