'Indian-American Congress hopefuls on cusp of making history'

Indian-Americans, comprising about one per cent of the country's population, appear to be on the cusp of making history as a record number of people from the community are likely to be elected in the general elections.
If local polls and political pundits are to believe, Indian-Americans would have its representative in the US Senate, and that too a woman - Kamala Harris, the two-term Attorney General of California.
And she would be joined in House of Representatives (similar to Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament) by Pramila Jayapal from Seattle.
Both have Chennai connection and this is also their maiden effort to enter the Congress. Kamala's mother was from Chennai and Pramila was born in Chennai.

In the run-up to the election, Pramila, 51, who is running on a progressive agenda, was endorsed by Senator Bernie sanders.
Kamala, 51, has been described "fearless" by US President Barack Obama, who endorsed her a few months ago and recorded a commercial video which is currently being run in California.

Obama has also endorsed Indian-American Raja Krishnamoorthi, 42, who is running to enter the House of Representatives from a suburb of Chicago.
Born in New Delhi in 1973, Krishnamoorthi's parents are from Tamil Nadu, who migrated to the US when he was just three months old.
Political pundits describe the eighth Congressional District of Illinois from where he is running as the safest Democratic seat in the country.

This is Krishnamoorthi's second effort to enter the US House of Representative so is Rohit 'Ro' Khanna, 40, who is pitted against his own party colleague and incumbent Mike Honda.
Khanna, who had received more votes than Honda during the primaries, is being backed by the entire Silicon Valley tech industry.
Internal polls show, he is headed for a won, but Honda is considered to be a formidable competitor in the 17th Congressional District of California.
Ami Bera, 51, the third-ever and the only Indian-American in the current Congress, is in a tough fight against Republican Scott Jones from the seventh Congressional District of California.

Seeking his third term in the House of Representatives, Bera's chances brightened after he was endorsed by Obama and top newspapers including Sacramento Bee.
(Reopens FGN 7)
Young Peter Jacob, whose parents are from Kerala, is giving a tough time to his Republican rival and incumbent Leonard Lance in the 7th Congressional District of New Jersey.
The seat is considered to be a Republican strong hold.
Chances of Jacob, 30, received a big boost this week when Sanders asked his supports to raise fund for his campaign as he believes that his race is a tie with Lance.
Like Pramila, Jacob is among the few candidates who has been endorsed by Sanders.

In a Detroit suburb of Michigan, Mumbai-born urologist Dr Anil Kumar is hoping to wrest the traditional Republican seat, hoping that the (Hillary) Clinton magic would see him through the 11 Congressional District of the state.
In the past few general elections, on an average 10 Indian-Americans were in the fray for the Congress, but this time the chances of more than one being elected has never been so good as the 2016 general elections.
In addition to Kamala Harris, Pramila Jayapal, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Ami Bera, Peter Jacob and Anil Kumar - all of whom are Democrats - Indian-Americans consider Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii as their own.

She is the first-ever Hindu to be elected to the House of Representatives.
Gabbard, who is seeking her third term from Hawaii, is all set to be joined by Krishnamoorthi as the other Hindu American in the Congress.
There are several Indian-Americans contesting State-level and local-level elections.
Prominent among them running for State Assembly elections are Ash Kalra from California, Neil Makhija from Pennsylvania, Jay Chaudhari from North Carolina, Niraj Antani from Ohio and Prasad Srinivasan from Connecticut. Dr Syed Taj is running for a city supervisor in a Detroit suburb.