Two Indian Americans Secure Seats in Virginia State Legislature
Click to start listening
New York, Jan 8 (NationPress) Two Indian Americans have been elected in special elections to Virginia's legislatures, thereby helping the Democratic Party retain its slim majority in the face of the national Trump wave observed in last year's election.
Kannan Srinivasan has been elected to the State Senate while J.J. Singh has won a seat in the State House of Delegates on Wednesday.
In what resembles a game of musical chairs, Singh occupies the seat previously held by Srinivasan in the House, as Srinivasan takes over from Suhas Subramanyam, who resigned from the State Senate after being elected to Congress last November.
The electoral races also included another Indian American, Republican Ram Venkatachalam, who lost to Singh.
Srinivasan will be joining another Indian American, Ghazala Hashmi, who was born in Hyderabad, in the State Senate.
Originally from Tamil Nadu, he was a chartered accountant in India before moving to the US, where he has established a successful 30-year career in business and finance.
Srinivasan was elected to the Virginia House in 2023.
J.J. Singh, a native of Virginia, is likely to be the first legislator in the US to don a turban, although other Sikhs have previously been elected.
Singh has experience working in the White House Office of Management and Budget under former President Barack Obama.
He has also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia and as a senior advisor in the US Senate.
The elections were pivotal for the Democrats, who only held a one-seat majority in both chambers in a state governed by a Republican.
Vice President Kamala Harris successfully defeated President-elect Donald Trump in the state, but there are worries among the Democrats that his national triumph could impact local races.
The election was particularly disappointing for Kamala Harris, who took over the Democratic Party's campaign after President Joe Biden withdrew amidst concerns regarding his mental and physical fitness.
The Democrats invested significantly more resources into the race than the Republicans to secure their candidate's victory.
