Many Indian-Americans running for elections across the US in 2025-26

The US election cycle for 2025 has started, and several Indian Americans are running in electoral races across the country. The most high-profile Indian American, currently in an electoral race, is Republican Vivek Ramaswamy who has formally announced that he is a gubernatorial candidate for Ohio in 2026. He has launched his campaign and has proposed changes to the state’s school system.
Ramaswamy, who quit the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by billionaire Elon Musk, early this year; has received support from US President Donald Trump for his bid for governor. Former Republican state senator Niraj Antani, too, has entered the race for Ohio’s next chief financial officer. First elected in 2014, when he was just 23, he had earlier served in the Ohio General Assembly and was also a state representative in the Ohio House of Representatives. Antani became the first Indian-American state senator in Ohio’s history and the youngest Indian & Hindu American state or federal elected official in the United States.

Several Indian-American Democrats too are running for office across America. Former deputy assistant secretary of the US treasury, Dini Ajmani , has announced her candidacy to replace the Indian-American Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, Ravi Bhalla; who is not running for re-election this year. The election will be held on November 4, 2025. Ajmani, who earlier worked at Wall Street, was raised in India and went to the US for a masters degree in computer science from the University of Texas, Austin, and later received an MBA from Stanford University. She lives in Hoboken with her husband and two daughters.

Shashi Sinha , who is from Patna, Bihar, grew up in India and moved to Rochester, New York, 14 years back when his wife accepted a position as a history professor at Rochester Institute of Technology. He is now running for Mayor of Rochester and challenging the incumbent Malik Evans in the Democratic primary elections for the seat on June 24, 2025. Sinha works in a corporate job and is also a real estate investor. He decided to run for mayor because he believes the American Dream is only possible when foundational needs are met—stable housing, quality education, a safe environment, and growth opportunities. “These are not luxuries; they are necessities, and too many families in Rochester are struggling to access them. I’m committed to changing that because every person deserves the chance to thrive,” Sinha says on his election website.
Balvir Singh (Democratic Party), is a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, representing District 7. He assumed office on January 30, 2025, and his current term ends on January 13, 2026. He is now running for re-election for the same seat and has declared his candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on June 10. The first Sikh legislator in

New Jersey state, Singh is a public school educator. He had spent his early childhood in a small village in Punjab, India, before immigrating to the United States with his family. Singh served on the Burlington Township Board of Education from 2015 to 2017, before being elected to the Burlington County Board of Commissioners in 2017. As a Burlington County Commissioner, Singh worked to address affordable housing, economic development, and public health and has a focus on education, economic opportunity, and equitable access to essential services.
Aishwarya Balakrishna is running as a candidate for Naperville Park District Commissioner in Illinois with the election scheduled on April 1, 2025. The daughter of Indian-American immigrants believes in the values of hard work, inclusion, and service instilled in her by her family and neighbours, according to her election website. Balakrishna has a bachelor’s degree in health sciences from Purdue University and a master’s in public health from Benedictine.

“As the vice president of the Will County substance abuse prevention coalition, and an executive council member of the Illinois Public Health Association, I’ve put my skills towards advocacy, collaboration, and leadership—all of which I will bring to the Naperville Park District,” she says.
Anant Nambiar is running for New York, Westchester County legislator in the primary in June 2025. He is the Democratic candidate to represent District 7 on the Westchester County Board of Legislators. Nambiar, who currently serves on the Town of Mamaroneck Council, was previously on the Mamaroneck School Board and was a senior executive with global financial companies for over 25 years. According to his election campaign, he will fight for all residents with a focus on flooding, housing, fiscal responsibility, and quality of life. A public servant and business leader, Nambiar lives with his wife and three children in Larchmont.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani (Democratic Party), a member of the New York State Assembly, representing District 36, is running for Mayor of New York. He has declared his candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on June 24, 2025. Born in Uganda, Mamdani is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair.
Indian-American Assemblywoman of New York State Jenifer Rajkumar (Democrat), who is now running for the office of NYC public advocate, has announced endorsements from fellow Indian Americans - Congressmen Ro Khanna (Democrat, California) and Shri Thanedar (Democrat, Michigan). The Indian-American Mayor of Edison, New Jersey, Sam Joshi, has also endorsed her.
Indian-American Impact Fund, an organisation dedicated to ensuring South Asian representation at all levels of the US government by providing candidates with the resources they need to win, has announced endorsements of Indian-American Democratic candidates Ajmani, Sinha, Nambiar, Singh, and Balakrishna, for the 2025 election cycle.
“The local and statewide elections happening across the country this year will shape not only our future but also our daily lives in profound ways. Each of the candidates we are thrilled to endorse is stepping up to lead, advocate, and craft policies that directly impact our schools, our neighbourhoods, and our families. By investing in bold, values-driven leadership at every level of government, we are building a future that is more representative, inclusive, and responsive to our communities,” Chintan Patel, executive director of the Indian-American Impact Fund, said.
Earlier this year, the Indian-American Impact Fund endorsed Kannan Srinivasan and J.J. Singh, who won their Virginia legislative races in the January special election; as well as Ghazala Hashmi, who is running to become Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor. Hashmi, a Democrat, is a member of the Virginia State Senate, representing District 15. The Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia is scheduled for June 17, 2025. Hashmi was born in Hyderabad and she has worked as the director of the Center For Excellence In Teaching & Learning at Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia, and as a university professor.