New Delhi:
With great anticipation and a close fight, Presidential elections in the United States has finally concluded. Republican candidate and property mogul Donald Trump has been elected as the 45th President of the country. Along with this, there have been Indian-origin candidates who have made it big elections which include the likes of Kamala Harris, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Pramila Jayapal.
Out of six Indian-American candidates, three have been successful in defeating their respective opponent to enter the US Senate and US house. Here is some brief information about them:
Kamala Harris
Indian-American Kamala Harris has made history after becoming the first Indian-American to be elected to the US Senate.
Harris went pass fellow-Democrat Loretta Sanchez to defeat him in California to also become the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the Congress.
This victory is also significant as California is the most populated state in the US with 18 million voters. Senators are elected by the entire electorate in their respective states.
I could not do any of this without you. Thank you for your support. Let's get to work! pic.twitter.com/9XvvJ7SW3n
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 9, 2016
Harris, 52, whose family roots are linked to Chennai, is a lawyer by profession and was twice elected Attorney General in 2010 and 2014.
Interestingly, Kamala Harris is also counted as an African American as her father is a Jamaican of African descent and she follows the Baptist faith.
Her mother Shyamals Gopalan is a cancer specialist from Chennai which gives her equal claim to Indian heritage.
Reportedly the first Indian elected to Congress was Dalip Singh Saund, who won from California in 1956.
Also read: Know about Donald Trump: President-elect of United States
Raja Krishnamoorthi
Indian-origin Raja Krishnamoorthi has won a seat in the House of Representatives from Ilinois, becoming the fourth Indian American being elected to Congress.
Representing Democratic Party, Krishnamoorthi was elected from the Illinois Eighth Congressional District which surrounds a few suburbs around Chicago.
He has defeated Republican Peter DiCianni in the constituency which is traditionally being a democrat fortress.
The 43-year-old Krishnamoorthi is one of the many talented young political leaders in the US. At the Democratic Party Convention in July, the party leadership had presented him as a "New Leader of Tomorrow".
Born in New Delhi, Krishnamoorthi is a lawyer by profession and has served as a state assistant attorney general on a special assignment to fight corruption and as a state deputy treasurer.
Krishnamoorthi has a mechanical engineering degree from Princeton University and a law degree from Harvard.
His father is a professor of engineering at Bradley University in Peoria. Krishnamoorthi is married to Priya Krishnamoorthi who is a doctor by profession. They have two sons and a daughter.
Also read: Know all about Melania Trump, the first lady of United States
Pramila Jayapal
An India-born Pramila Jayapal, who made a mark with her progressive agenda in the Washington State Senate, on Wednesday becomes the First Indian-American woman to be elected to the US House of Representative, winning the Washington State Senate seat.
51-year-old Jayapal got 57 per cent of the votes from Washington State, leaving behind her rival Brady Walkinshaw who secured 43 per cent votes. India-born Jayapal made a mark with her progressive agenda in the Washington State Senate.
To everyone that has been a part of this movement -- THANK YOU! #TeamPramila pic.twitter.com/q5EYRO7HjS
— Pramila Jayapal (@PramilaJayapal) November 9, 2016
Endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, the former Democratic presidential aspirant, Jayapal is running from the seventh Congressional District of Washington State that encompasses Seattle and its neighborhood.
