Washington, Oct 12 : Three Indian-American Democrats, including Congressman Shri Thanedar of Detroit, lost their 2026 primaries to progressive or Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)-backed challengers, even as Indian-American voters head into the November 3 midterm elections still leaning heavily Democratic.
Thanedar, a two-term member of the US House representing Michigan's 13th Congressional District, lost the August 4 primary to state Representative Donavan McKinney, 48.1 per cent to 51.9 per cent, according to Michigan Public.
New York Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar of Queens and Georgia state Senate candidate Rahul Garabadu were also defeated by challengers from the left.
"I want to congratulate Representative Donavan McKinney on a hard fought race. It was a tough election cycle and, in the end, the voters of the 13th District chose him to represent them moving forward," Thanedar said on August 5.
"Today, we showed why being always with the people is more than a slogan — it's a roadmap for the Democratic Party on how to move forward…," McKinney said.
McKinney was backed by Justice Democrats, which spent nearly $1 million on the race, as well as Senator Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar and Summer Lee.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries backed Thanedar, a self-funder who had about $5 million on hand, compared with $1.37 million raised by McKinney, according to the Michigan Advance.
In Queens, Rajkumar lost the June 23 primary in Assembly District 38 to DSA member David Orkin, 40.9 per cent to 58.8 per cent, with more than 94 per cent of votes counted.
Orkin was backed by New York City DSA and DRUM Beats (Desis Rising Up & Moving), a South Asian working-class group.
Rajkumar was first elected in 2020 as the first Indian-American woman elected to New York state office.
The contest was bitter. Orkin sued over alleged forged petition signatures, a case dismissed on procedural grounds, and Rajkumar accused the DSA of waging a campaign of hate against her, the Queens Chronicle reported.
"Through every battle and every challenge, I remain committed to the same purpose that first called me to public service: lifting people up and fighting for a better New York," Rajkumar said in a statement on June 24.
Orkin called it a "historic win for the left and for the working people of South Queens," the Queens Chronicle reported. JTA described him as an anti-Zionist Jewish candidate.
In Georgia, Garabadu lost the June 16 Democratic runoff for state Senate District 7 in Gwinnett County to state Representative Ruwa Romman, 3,073 votes to 4,636, or 39.9 per cent to 60.1 per cent.
Romman was backed by Sanders, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Congressman Hank Johnson. The district has a sizeable Asian-American electorate, including many Indian Americans.
"The voters of District 7 have spoken, and while last night's result is not what we hoped for, I am proud of the campaign we ran," Garabadu said.
"We proved tonight that progressive values and grassroots power are more powerful than special interests," Romman said.
The insurgent left has Indian-American figures of its own. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city's first Indian-American mayor, is a DSA member. Saikat Chakrabarti ran as a progressive in California's 11th District but finished third in the June 2 primary.
South Asian progressive Nida Allam, meanwhile, narrowly lost to incumbent Valerie Foushee in North Carolina's 4th District on March 3, 48.2 per cent to 49.2 per cent. The losses came in a cycle in which 12 House incumbents lost primaries, seven of them Democrats.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi's March defeat in the Illinois Senate primary to Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton was a contest between two establishment Democrats rather than a challenge from the left.
All six current Indian-American members of the House are Democrats. In an AAPI Vote/AAPI Data survey this summer, Indian-American voters favoured Democratic House candidates by 66 per cent to 18 per cent.
US left-wing challengers topple three Indian-American Democrats
