Washington, Oct 18 (IANS) Two Indian-American Republicans are challenging Indian-American Democrats Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal for the US House with about $5,000 each in the bank, Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings show, underlining how thin the party’s Indian-American bench is below its statewide names.
Ritesh Tandon, the Republican nominee in California’s 17th Congressional District, reported $5,227 in cash on October 14, after raising $4,551 in the first two weeks of the month. He had ended September with $702.
Nirav Sheth, the Republican nominee in Washington’s 7th District, reported raising and spending nothing from July 23 to September 30, ending with $5,043.77. He has raised $8,900 in 2026.
The incumbents are in a different league. Khanna had $16,936,477 in cash on September 30. Jayapal raised $348,702 from July 16 to September 30 and had $1,767,956 in the bank.
Tandon has raised $57,011 for the cycle, with no loans and no party money. Outside groups have spent nothing in the district’s general election, according to PaidForPolitics, which tracks FEC data.
Khanna won the June 2 top-two primary with 62.3 per cent to Tandon’s 14.8 per cent. In Washington’s August 4 primary, Jayapal took 83.8 per cent to Sheth’s 10.6 per cent.
This is Tandon’s fourth run for the seat. FEC records show his fundraising falling from $178,536 in 2020 to $116,486 in 2022 and $26,133 in 2024.
A Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur, Tandon came to the US from India at 28, worked at Cisco and heads Kricel Corporation. His campaign website says his grandfather, Kanhaiyalal Tandon, fought for India’s independence.
“I will always put the Constitution first, defend our founding principles, protect your freedoms, and uphold the rule of law every time without compromise,” the website says.
Sheth, born and raised in India, came to the US in 2008 to study engineering, served four years in the Marines and joined the Lakewood, Washington, police in 2017, his website says.
“I will advocate for a balanced policy that upholds the nation’s sovereignty and ensures safety by securing the borders, while also recognizing the essential role of immigrants in the US workforce,” Sheth says on the website.
FEC records also list Sheth as a candidate for the seat in 2024.
The party’s third Indian-American House nominee, Mahesh “Max” Ganorkar, who is challenging Democratic Representative Valerie Foushee in North Carolina, raised $6,651 in the third quarter. All three are running in safe Democratic seats.
By contrast, Indian-American Democrat Amish Shah raised $3.21 million in the third quarter in Arizona’s competitive 1st District.
The best-known Indian-American Republicans on the November 3 ballot are running statewide: Vivek Ramaswamy for governor of Ohio and Saritha Komatireddy for New York attorney general.
–IANS
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