November 14, 2016
By Geeta Goindi
Kamala Harris, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera, Ro Khanna and Raja Krishnamoorthi will serve on Capitol Hill
Kamala Harris is the first Indian-American to serve in the US Senate
November 14, 2016
By Geeta Goindi
Kamala Harris, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera, Ro Khanna and Raja Krishnamoorthi will serve on Capitol Hill
Kamala Harris is the first Indian-American to serve in the US Senate
Washington, DC – Setting a record and shining a bright light in the most contentious US election, five brilliant Indian-Americans have been elected to the US Congress. Kamala Harris, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera, Ro Khanna and Raja Krishnamoorthi will all serve on Capitol Hill, paving the way for other Indian-Americans to be elected to the highest legislative body in the land.
It is noteworthy that for the first time, Indian-American women have been elected to Congress. Interestingly, all the Indian-origin lawmakers are Democrats!
Harris, 52, is the first Indian-American woman elected to the US Senate, and speculation is rife that she could, one day, be elected to the highest office in the land! The progressive state attorney general deftly defeated Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and will now represent California in the upper chamber of Congress. She succeeds liberal icon Democrat Barbara Boxer who is retiring after serving 24 years in the US Senate.
Harris is the daughter of immigrants: her mother, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer specialist, is from Chennai, India; and her father, Donald Harris, a Stanford University economics professor, is a Jamaican-American.
Pramila Jayapal is the first Indian-American woman elected to the US House of Representatives
Jayapal has become the first Indian-American woman elected to the US House. A Washington state senator, she won by a landslide securing 57 percent of the vote. In 2013, she was recognized by President Obama as a ‘Champion of Change’.
Democratic Congressman Ami Bera of California lighting the Diya (lamp) at the first-ever Diwali celebration on Capitol Hill
Congressman Bera of California, Democratic Co-Chair of the House India Caucus, has been re-elected for a third term.
Ro Khanna has sailed to victory in California’s 17th Congressional District, ousting eight-term Congressman Mike Honda
Khanna has ousted incumbent Mike Honda from California’s 17th District seat. The 40-year-old lawyer had a substantial 59.4 percent lead over his opponent who has served in Congress for 16 years.
Krishnamoorthi has become the first Hindu Indian-American elected to the US House.
Raja Krishnamoorthi is the first Hindu Indian-American elected to the US House of Representatives.
In a recent video, President Obama had urged Americans in the 8th Congressional District of Illinois to vote for his “good friend” Raja Krishnamoorthi who is running for Congress. In the video, Obama disclosed, “When I ran for the US Senate, Raja helped me develop ideas for building an economy that works for everyone. Now, Raja’s plans will help small businesses grow, raise wages, and help families pay for college”.
The video features a photo of the President having lunch at Krishnamoorthi’s parents’ home in Peoria, Illinois, in 2002.
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