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From New York to Virginia and Cincinnati, Indian-origin leaders are marking major wins in US politics - indicating a growing Indian presence across the
American corridors of power.
Cincinnati's Aftab Pureval
In Cincinnati, Aftab Pureval secured a second term as mayor. He defeated Republican Cory Bowman, the half-brother of Vice President JD Vance.
Born in Ohio to a Punjabi father and a Tibetan refugee mother, Pureval's political instincts showed early. He once won a student election with the slogan "Big, Brown and Beautiful".
A lawyer by training, Pureval worked in Washington, DC, returning to Ohio as a special assistant US attorney. Later he served as legal counsel at Procter & Gamble before entering politics.
His first Congressional run in 2018 may have fallen short, but his mayoral campaign in 2021 put him in office. And now, voters have given him another decisive mandate.
In an earlier note backing Kamala Harris for president, Pureval wrote: "Forty-four years ago, my parents left Tibet and India. They travelled across the world because they believed in the promise of America."
Virginia's Ghazala Hashmi
In Virginia, Democrat Ghazala Hashmi made history as the first Indian-origin Muslim woman to become a Lieutenant Governor in the US. She is also the first Muslim woman ever elected to the role. She held a comfortable lead over her opponent, Republican radio host John Reid.
Ghazala was born in Hyderabad and raised partly in the US. She has long been a vocal advocate for stricter gun laws, access to healthcare, public education, reproductive rights, and climate-focused policies.
Her website notes: "Ghazala Hashmi is the first Muslim and the first South Asian American to serve in the Virginia Senate."
New York's Zohran Mamdani
In New York, another person of Indian origin registered a historic win. Zohran Mamdani became the first Muslim mayor of the city, defeating Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent Andrew Cuomo.
The youngest mayor in more than a century and the first naturalised immigrant in decades to win the post, Mamdani is now the first South Asian to lead New York.
Born in Uganda to parents of Indian descent, Mamdani's win came after record turnout across the city.
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