U.S. Presidential Elections 2024 | ‘Samosa Caucus’ has 6 Indian-origin Congresspeople

Suhas Subramaniam joins as sixth Indian-origin Congressman

Six Indian Americans were voted to power in the final phase of the presidential elections in the United States on Wednesday. The ‘Samosa Caucus’ – as the group of Indian-origin senators is informally called – will mark the debut of newly elected Democrat Suhas Subramaniam in the Congress, which already includes five Indian-Americans – Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamurthy, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jaipal and Mr Thanedar – all re-elected candidates are set to continue their stay.

Suhas Subramaniam

Democrat (Virginia)

According to his website profile, Suhas’ mother – a native of Bengaluru – moved across the Atlantic in the 1970s to unite with his father, who grew up in Chennai and Secunderabad. Its purpose was to advance education and the “American Dream”.

The incoming congressman has a law degree from Northwestern University. He previously served as a White House technology policy advisor to then-President Obama. In 2019, he was elected to the Virginia General Assembly.

ami bera

Democrat (California 6^th district)

A doctor by education, Mr. Bera is the longest serving Indian American in Congress. According to a profile on his office’s website, Mr. Bera served as chief medical officer at Sacramento Country before transitioning into education. Here, he served as Clinical Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Admissions and Outreach at the University of California (Davis).

The former physician failed to secure the opportunity to represent California in the 112th Congress. However, since then, Mr. Bera has served in Congress uninterrupted from the 113th Congress to the current 119th Congress.^th,

Raja Krishnamurthy

Democrat (Illinois)

Born in India in 1973, Sri Krishnamurthy’s family moved to New York when he was three months old to pursue the American dream and pursue his education. His father worked as an engineering professor at Bradley University for more than 40 years.

He graduated from Princeton University with a degree in mechanical engineering and a certificate from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. After which, Congress joined Harvard Law School for his fifth consecutive term.

Mr. Krishnamurthy also has the distinction of being the first South Asian American in history to lead a Congressional committee.

ro khanna

Democrats (California’s 17^th district)

All set to run for his fourth consecutive term in office, the Congressman’s grandfather participated in Mahatma Gandhi’s independence movement and spent several years in prison. His parents later moved to the United States “in search of opportunity and a better life for their children”.

His social media bio describes him as “pro-worker, pro-union, pro-family, pro-growth.”

Before being first elected to office in 2016, Mr. Khanna worked as a lecturer in the Department of Economics at Stanford University and an adjunct professor at Santa Clara Law School.

Mr Thanedar

Democrat (Michigan)

The Karnataka-born Congressman moved to the United States in 1979 after completing a master’s degree in chemistry from India. He completed his Ph.D. Completed. in chemistry at the University of Akron in 1982. He later became a US citizen in 1988.

To make ends meet during his early days in America, Mr. Thanedar worked as a janitor and slept in a car. After working as a pharmaceutical researcher and then an entrepreneur, he turned to public service in 2018. He was first selected to represent Michigan in 1988.^th Congress.

Pramila Jaipal

Democrats (Washington’s 7^th district)

The first South Asian American woman in the US House of Representatives and the only one of two dozen naturalized citizens in the US Congress, Ms. Jayapal is all set to run for her 5th term.^th Constant stay in office.

The India-born Congresswoman lived in Indonesia and Singapore before moving to the North American country to attend Georgetown University at the age of 16. He later received an MBA degree from Northwestern University.

Ms Jayapal has been one of the more vocal voices fighting against the former Trump administration’s policies on immigration.