Two Indian Americans elected to Virginia state legislatures
Two Indian Americans have been elected to Virginia’s state legislatures, helping the Democratic Party maintain its slim majority despite a challenging national political landscape. Kannan Srinivasan was elected to the State Senate, while J.J. Singh secured a seat in the State House of Delegates on Wednesday.
The elections marked an interesting shift in Virginia politics, with Singh taking the seat in the House previously held by Srinivasan. In turn, Srinivasan succeeded Suhas Subramanyam, who resigned from the State Senate after being elected to Congress in November.
Another notable figure in the races was Republican candidate Ram Venkatachalam, who contested against Singh for the House seat but ultimately lost.
Srinivasan, a Tamil Nadu native who moved to the United States after building a successful career as a chartered accountant in India. Srinivasan’s win ensures that he will join fellow Indian American Ghazala Hashmi, who is also serving in the State Senate.
On the other hand, J.J. Singh, a Virginia native, made history by becoming likely the first legislator in the U.S. to wear a turban. Singh’s impressive background includes working in the White House Office of Management and Budget under former President Barack Obama, serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia, and advising on Capitol Hill as a senior U.S. Senate advisor.
These victories were crucial for the Democratic Party, which holds a slender one-seat majority in both chambers of Virginia’s legislature. This comes at a time when the state is led by a Republican governor, and with the national political landscape shaped by the ongoing Trump era, the outcome of these elections was critical to ensuring Democratic control.
Despite Vice President Kamala Harris’s victory over President-elect Donald Trump in Virginia, there were concerns among Democrats that the national Republican wave might influence the results. To counter this, the Democratic Party invested considerable resources in the campaigns to secure the wins of Srinivasan and Singh.
