Indian-American candidates split on key issues ahead of US midterm polls

Indian-American candidates made contrasting final appeals ahead of the US midterm elections, reflecting the broader national divide. Republicans such as Vivek Ramaswamy and Saritha Komatireddy focused on crime, taxes, energy costs and affordability, while Democrats including Suhas Subramanyam, Ro Khanna, Pooja Sethi and Pia Dandiya emphasized opposition to Donald Trump, concerns over the Iran war, and rising hate incidents.

Washington:  Indian American candidates made sharply different closing arguments on the eve of Tuesday’s US midterm elections, with Republicans pressing crime and living costs and Democrats casting the vote as a check on President Donald Trump and a stand against rising hate.

In Ohio, Republican governor nominee Vivek Ramaswamy ended a statewide swing in Cleveland. “Slash property taxes quickly. Restore the rule of law on our streets. Cut electric bills by producing more energy. This isn’t right vs. left. It’s right vs. wrong. It’s common sense vs. crazy. That’s the choice tomorrow,” he posted on X.

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“Ohioans first, that’s my sole responsibility as Governor,” he wrote after a stop in Toledo.

In New York, Republican Saritha Komatireddy, who is challenging Attorney General Letitia James, toured Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Binghamton before a last stop on Long Island. “Crime, homelessness and fraud are all up under Letitia James, and she wouldn’t change a thing. I’m the change New Yorkers have been waiting for,” she posted.

Komatireddy, the daughter of Indian immigrants, also tied her pitch to the immigrant story. Her campaign quoted her as saying: “You come to this country because there’s a promise and a hope that if you work hard … you can provide for yourself and your family.”

On the Democratic side, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia framed the election around Trump. “Tomorrow we will elect a Congress that works for the people, not the President,” he posted.

Congressman Ro Khanna of California used the final weekend to push his Iran message. “Dems can vote to zero out appropriations for the war in Iran,” he wrote, adding that Trump had called him “a lightweight 4 times”.

In Texas, Pooja Sethi, the Democratic candidate for state House District 47, closed on the anti-Indian hate that has shadowed the state’s campaign. “We will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced. Hate has no home in Texas,” she wrote.

In Florida, Democrat Pia Dandiya, whose race in the 22nd Congressional District has drawn heavy outside spending, posted: “We have 1 day left to fight for a future worthy of our children.”

The split mirrors the national campaign, in which Republicans have stressed crime and prices while Democrats have focused on Trump, the Iran war and affordability.