A record number of Indian- Americans - at least 12 - are in the fray for the November 2012 polls vying for a place in the House of Representatives, reflecting the serious effort of this fastest growing ethnic community in the US to politically empower itself.
Cutting across party lines, these Indian-American candidates are spread all over the country – with two each from California and Michigan.
Congressman Hansen Clare, who is half Indian, is seeking re-election from Michigan, while another candidate Tulsi Gabbard, a Hindu, is receiving massive support from Indian- Americans.
The motivation and inspiration for these Indian-American candidates numbering at least a dozen comes from the phenomenal success of two rising stars of the Republican party, Nikki Haley (Governor of South Carolina) and Bobby Jindal (Governor of Louisiana). However, majority of the Indian-American candidates are running for the Congress on Democratic Party tickets.
Indian-Americans have been traditional supporter of the Democratic party, an indication of which comes from a recent survey according to which as many as 85 per cent of the Indian -Americans favour re-election of President Barack Obama.
Among the Indian-American candidates seeking election for the US House of Representatives on Democratic Party tickets are Upendra Chivukula from New Jersey, Raja Krishnamoorthi from Illinois, K P George from Texas, Ami Bera from California, Manan Trivedi from Pennsylvania, Syed Taj from Michigan and Vipin Verma from Florida.
Darshan Rauniyar from Washington, though from Nepal, is considered Indian-American by many. Hansen Clarke and Tulsi Gabbard are also from the Democratic Party.