US Midterms 2022: 'Samosa Caucus' Expands as 5 Indian Americans Enter Congress

The Indian American winners include Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi & Shri Thanedar.

Clockwise: Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera, and Shri Thanedar. 

(Photo: Namita Chauhan/The Quint) 

Video Editor: Akanksha Pandey

A new member was added to the so-called 'Samosa Caucus of Indian Americans,' as five candidates of Indian origin won from their respective seats in the United States (US) House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections.

The Incumbents

The four incumbents who were up for re-election among the Indian American candidates included Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, and Pramila Jayapal. All of them belong to the Democratic Party.

Ahead of the election results, which started coming in on Wednesday, 9 November, most pollsters had predicted a 100 percent strike rate for the four desi politicians.

The Newcomer

The new entrant in the race is businessman and entrepreneur Shri Thanedar, who won from the 13th Congressional District of Michigan on a Democratic ticket.

Another Indian American – Aruna Miller – created history in the state of Maryland. A former member of the Maryland House of Delegates, Miller was elected to the the post of Lt Governor of the State from the Democratic Party, becoming the first Indian American to be elected to the post.

Here's a closer look at the newly elected Indian American candidates in the election:

Ami Bera

Bera, the senior-most member of the Samosa Caucus, won the election for the sixth consecutive time from the 7th Congressional District of California by securing over 55 percent votes.

While a significant portion of the votes are yet to be counted, Bera is expected to retain his seat comfortably.

Sixty-seven-year-old Bera, whose family hails from Gujarat, had first contested for the House unsuccessfully in 2010, but then went on to win the next six elections, including the recent one.

Ro Khanna

Ro Khanna, 46, won the election from the 17th Congressional district of California for the fourth consecutive time. Facing another Indian American, Republican Ritesh Tandon, Khanna secured 69.9 percent votes, as against his opponent's 30.1 percent.

While Khanna was born in Philadelphia, his family is from Punjab.

The politician had first contested polls in 2014, but lost that year. He won subsequent elections in 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2022.

Raja Krishnamoorthi

Like Khanna, 49-year-old Raja Krishnamoorthi also won his fourth consecutive term in the House. He secured 56.3 percent votes against Republican candidate Chris Dargis' 43.7 percent.

Krishnamoorthi was born in Delhi and moved to the US with his parents in 1973. He has been representing the 8th Congressional District of Illinois since 2017.

Pramila Jayapal

Jayapal is the first and only Indian American woman to be elected to the US House.

The Chennai-born politician won her fourth consecutive term in the House, from the 7th Congressional District of Washington State by polling 84.9 percent votes in her favour. She has held the seat since 2016.

The 57-year-old had migrated to the the US in 1982 to attend college, when she was 16 years old.

Shri Thanedar

Shri Thanedar, 67, won his first election in the US House from the 13th Congressional District of Michigan.

The debutant polled an impressive 71.1 percent, against his opponent's 24 percent.

Born in Belgavi, Karnataka, he had come to the US in 1979 to pursue a PhD, and became a US citizen in 1988. He then went on to work as a businessman and an entrepreneur.