Two Indian Americans Elected to Virginia State Legislatures

NEW YORK:
Two Indian Americans were elected in special elections to Virginia’s legislatures, ensuring the Democratic Party keeps its slender majority despite the national Trump wave in last year’s election.

Kannan Srinivasan was elected to the State Senate and J.J. Singh to the State House of Delegates on Wednesday.

In what seems like a round of musical chairs, Singh takes the seat held in the House by Srinivasan, who in turn succeeds Suhas Subramanyam, who resigned the State Senate seat and was elected to Congress in November.

The races featured another Indian American, Republican Ram Venkatachalam, who lost to Singh.

Srinivasan will join another Indian American, the Hyderabad-born Ghazala Hashmi, in the State Senate.

He grew up in Tamil Nadu and was a chartered accountant in India before emigrating to the US, where he built a 30-year career in business and finance.

Srinivasan was elected to the Virginia House in 2023.

J.J. Singh, who was born in Virginia, will probably be the first legislator in the US to wear a turban, although other Sikhs have been elected.

Singh worked in the White House Office of Management and Budget under former President Barack Obama.

He had earlier served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia and as a senior US Senate advisor.

The elections were crucial to the Democrats, who had only a one-seat majority in both chambers in a state where the governor is a Republican.

Vice President Kamala Harris defeated President-elect Donald Trump in the state, but there are concerns among the Democrats that his national victory could seep into the races.

The election was a shocking disappointment for Kamala Harris, who stepped in to carry the Democratic Party torch after President Joe Biden dropped out as questions arose over his mental and physical capabilities.

The Democrats put more resources into the race than the Republicans to ensure their candidate’s victory.