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Election Day Nov. 4, played out predictably for Indian-Americans on most counts. Those expected to win, got reelected handily, they include California Attorney General Kamala Harris, a Democrat, and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Randhawa Haley, a Republican. Harris beat her opponent Ronald Gold by 12.6 percent to get 56.3 percent of the vote; and Haley won 56 percent to Democrat Vincent Sheheen’s 41.4 percent.
Those who needed a miracle to succeed did not get one, and they included Republican Neel Kashkari, whose long-shot non-challenge to incumbent California Gov. Jerry Brown went as surveys said from the outset of the campaign.
Down to the Wire
A race that was expected to go down to the wire is still undecided, that of incumbent Congressman Ami Bera from California’s 7th District, a constituency that is almost evenly split by the two parties. His opponent, former Republican Congressman Doug Ose, and Bera are hoping to put them past the post by the thousands of provisional votes still being counted. Considered the most expensive race in the country with outside money pouring in, analysts close to the race say the result is hardly unexpected. “It is functionally as swing a district as can be. It’s always going to be a tight race,” one analyst who did not want his name used, told News India Times. As of Thursday night, Nov. 6, some 60,000 to 90,000 votes remained to be counted.
A similar scenario played out in 2012. Bera then won with some 9,000 provisional ballots. This time around, according to the votes counted so far, Bera is at 49.1 to Ose’s 50.9 Nov. 6, with a difference of 2,183 votes. Analysts point out Bera needs to gain only 3,000 this time compared to 2012, and provisional ballots tend to be more Democratic than Republican.
“This race is not done. There are still ballots to be counted and Congressman Bera has a good chance to return to D.C.,” Bera’s media consultant Raghu Devguptapu told News India Times.
Apart from being a district that Republicans, too, can claim as their own, District 7 is also a classic case where Democratic voting is usually lower than in a presidential election year. Bera’s support was also dented by some Sikh activists supported by the Republican Party, mobilized to oppose him because of his stand on the 1984 Sikh massacre in India. “Where Bera could have counted on the ethnic vote, it was complicated because of the Sikh issue,” says Karthick Ramakrishnan, professor of political science at University of Californial, Riverside.
Surprise Contest
The one race that offered a bit of a surprise was the intraparty struggle of two Democrats – veteran Congressman Mike Honda and challenger Ro Khanna, in California’s 17th District that includes the Silicon Valley. Provisional ballots are still being counted days after Nov. 4. Some might call it a win-win situation for Democrats and no matter who wins it will be a Democrat in office.
Khanna catapulting forward to close the gap with Honda is surprising say some analysts considering the primary results where Honda was 20 points ahead of the younger Democrat, a former Obama administration official. “So he (Khanna) is pulling from more moderate and even Republican voters,” Ramakrishnan contends.
At press time, Honda was ahead by 4.4 percent with 52.2 percent of the vote, totaling a mere 4,046 votes, according to Politico.com. Khanna could make those up from the provisional ballots. But those closely following Honda’s vote say he is leading in every metric so far and that Khanna would have to win a significant percentage of the vote yet to be counted in order to win.
The Honda camp had early estimated Khanna would pull at least 45 percent of the vote because of his “conservative” Democratic leanings. “So he will get Democrats but also some conservatives,” one analyst said. But while Khanna has some big Silicon Valley names behind him, they say “regular” working class people also live in Silicon Valley, who could possibly decide in Honda’s favor, a 6-term Congressman who has brought home the bacon.
At press time Honda declared victory but Khanna had not yet conceded.
Tried and Tried
Some Indian-American aspirants stirred and then dashed Democratic hopes yet again. One such is Iraq war veteran Manan Trivedi, a physician by training who tried and failed for the third time to get into Congress from Pennsylvania’s 6th District. In his last two attempts in 2010 and 2012, the party apparatus stepped up to help, but it could not put him over the edge this time either, despite a last-minute attempt by House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, to accompany Trivedi on the campaign trail and boost his chances.
Rising Stars
In the next few years, Indian-Americans will inevitably see some of their in influential races. Kamala Harris is a strong contender for the 2018 race for California governor and possibly a U.S. Senate seat. “She has a very strong and bright future,” says Ramakrishnan.
Haley is a strong contender for the Vice Presidential slot with almost any Republican presidential candidate, barring Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, in 2016. “She is a woman, an Asian and the governor of a southern state, all very valuable assets,” for a VP position, Ramakrishnan contends. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a strong potential candidate for president, campaigned with Haley in South Carolina and has praised her leadership of the state.
The rising stature of these two women will inspire other Indian-Americans according to Ramakrishnan, to run for office, but he hopes candidates will start from the lower rungs like school boards and other state offices rather than jump into state or national legislative races. Because of their low numbers Indian-Americans by default have to run in non-Asian majority districts and do usually have a crossover appeal. “Generally they emphasize qualities like the ability to listen, and a knowledge of issues,” Ramakrishnan says.
According to the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, apart from the 5 Indian-Americans running for higher office including Attorney-General and Governor as well as for the House of Representatives, at least 22 Indian-Americans ran for state legislatures.
State Races
The 22 state level candidates include 9 Republicans, 12 Democrats and one Independent. Five state level candidates are women and at least 3 of them were elected. The number of Republicans among Indian-Americans appears higher than usual this year, partly a result of the GOP’s push to recruit minority candidates.
Breaking the mould is Alaska Republican Anand Dubey running from District 21. The chemical engineer from Bangalore University, 15-year resident of Alaska, an entrepreneur interested in fishing, hunting and outdoor sports, was appointed in 2006, by then Gov. Sarah Palin as state director of Enterprise Technology Services. His vote count is not yet out as provisional ballots are to be counted and according to local news reports. Winner will be declared Nov. 19.
Seven of the 22 State legislature candidates won their elections, several of them incumbents who were returned to office, including Maryland’s House Majority Leader Kumar Barve, Democrat, and his colleague Aruna Miller. Also re-elected were Sam Singh of Michigan. A newcomer to the Washington state House is long time women’s rights activist and Democratic Party member Pramila Jayapal, 63. And Niraj Antani, 23, a student in Ohio, is possibly the youngest state legislator in the country. New Hampshire State Rep. Latha Mangipudi cemented her November 2013 special election win with a victory on Nov. 4.
List of Candidates
Governor
South Carolina
WON- Nikki Haley – Republican running for re-election in South Carolina
California
LOST – Neil Kashkari – Republican
Lt. Governor
Texas
LOST – Chandrakantha Courtney, Green Party.
Attorney General
California
WON – Kamala Harris – will be re-elected in all probability.
State Comptroller
Maryland
LOST – Anjali Reed Phukan, The Service Party
U.S. Congress:
California
UNDECIDED – Rep. Ami Bera, Democrat, District 7
UNDECIDED – Ro Khanna, Democrat, District 17
Pennsylvania
LOST- Manan Trivedi – Democrat, District 6.
Maryland
LOST – Arvin Vohra, 35, Libertarian Party, District 4
State Legislatures
Alaska
UNDECIDED – Republican Anand Dubey, (House – District 21)
Arizona
LOST – Republican Michael Gidwani (House – District 30)
Colorado
WON – Incumbent Republican Janak Joshi (House – District 16)
Connecticut
WON – Incumbent Republican Prasad Srinivasan (House – District 31)
Georgia
LOST – Democrat Akhtar Sadiq (Senate – District 56)
Illinois
LOST – Republican Krishna Bansal (House – District 84)
LOST – Democrat Mo Khan (House – District 20)
LOST – Democrat Laddi Singh (House – District 54)
Kentucky
LOST – Democrat Siddiqui Malik (Senate – District 36)
Maryland
WON – Democrat Kumar Barve, (House – District 17)
WON – Democrat Aruna Miller, (House – District 15)
LOST – Independent Shukoor Ahmed (House – District 23A)
LOST – Republican Jody Venkatesan (Senate – District 13)
Michigan
WON – Democrat Sam Singh (House – District 69)
Missouri
LOST – (NOT SURE OF THIS ONE- NEEDS TO BE CHECKED AGAIN) Republican Rekha “Becky” Sharma (House – District 68)
North Carolina
LOST – Democrat Nalin Mehta (House – District 67)
New Hampshire
WON – Democrat Latha Mangipudi (House – Hillsborough 35(3) District)
Ohio
WON – Republican Niraj Antani (House – District 42)
Pennsylvania
LOST – Republican Saud Siddiqui (House – District 164)
Washington
WON – Democrat Pramila Jayapal (Senate – District 37)
LOST – Democrat Eric Kalia (House – District 8b)
LOST – Democrat Satpal Sidhu (House – District 42a)