Politics

Two Second‑Generation Gujarati Americans Win Congressional Seats in U.S. Midterms

By Parth Shastri

In the U.S. midterm elections, seven Indian‑American candidates secured victories by Thursday afternoon. Among them were two second‑generation Gujarati Americans who are also doctors: California Democrat Ami Bera and Arizona Democrat Amish Shah. Bera, whose birth name is Amerish, won on Wednesday in California’s 6th Congressional District, while Shah was declared the winner early Thursday morning local time in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. Political observers from the Indian community in the U.S. noted that the results had record significance on two fronts: Bera extended his tenure as the longest‑serving congressman of Indian origin, and Shah became the first person of Indian origin elected to Congress from Arizona.

Bera’s family originates from Rajkot in Gujarat. His father migrated to the U.S. and later brought his mother; Bera was born in Los Angeles and raised in Orange County. He defeated Republican candidate Robb Tucker with 57% of the vote. His campaign focused on healthcare, jobs and the economy, the environment, and social security. Prior to politics, Bera worked as a physician and served as chief medical officer for Sacramento County.

Shah’s parents migrated from India in the 1960s to study engineering in the U.S. He was born and raised in Chicago, works as an emergency medicine specialist, and is the founder of the Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival. Shah speaks conversational Spanish and is fluent in Gujarati. He faced former NFL player Thomas Feely and won with 52% of the vote, a first for an Indian‑American candidate in Arizona. His campaign highlighted affordable living, social security, universal healthcare, and education.

Ankur Vaidya, chairman of the Board at the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), USA, said the results matter beyond the two races. "In the past, we also had representatives at state and city levels who have Gujarati roots. Earlier, we supported political parties and even did fundraisers, but having candidates is something new that we have seen in the past few years," he said. "Larger representation will surely help get the community’s voice to the highest political levels for issues affecting the community."