Indian American candidates recorded notable gains in state legislative elections across the United States, with Pooja Sethi in Texas, Jyot Singh in Georgia and Nabeela Syed in Illinois emerging as leading winners in their respective races. The results highlight the growing participation and representation of Indian Americans in state-level politics.
In Texas, Democrat Pooja Sethi declared victory in the race for House District 47 after unofficial results showed her leading Republican candidate Jennifer Mushtaler by approximately 63.4 per cent to 36.6 per cent, with more than 95 per cent of votes counted.
In Georgia, Democrat Jyot Singh also declared victory in House District 97. Unofficial election returns showed him securing approximately 68 per cent of the vote against Republican Yassin Moghazy, who received around 32 per cent.
In Illinois, Democrat Nabeela Syed led Republican incumbent Darby Hills in the race for Senate District 26, receiving approximately 57 per cent of the vote. Her performance added to the strong showing by Indian American candidates in legislative contests across the country.
Several Indian American incumbents also retained their positions. Ram Villivalam won re-election to the Illinois Senate, while Arvind Venkat secured another term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
In California’s District 76, incumbent Democrat Darshana Patel defeated Republican Carrie S. Espinoza Villanueva, leading by more than 20,000 votes.
Not all Indian American candidates were successful. In North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District, Republican Mahesh (Max) Ganorkar lost to Democratic incumbent Valerie Foushee. According to unofficial results, Foushee received 79.1 per cent of the vote, compared with 18.9 per cent for Ganorkar.
Independent candidate Sandeep Dixit also lost to Democratic incumbent Emilia Sykes in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District. In Summit County, Dixit received 853 votes, representing 1.16 per cent of the total. Sykes secured 73.44 per cent, while Republican Carey Coleman received 25.40 per cent.
The results reflect a mixed but significant performance by Indian American candidates in the 2026 elections, with several securing victories and others retaining legislative positions. The figures are based on unofficial election-night tallies and remain subject to final certification.
