Virginia State Sen. Suhas Subramanyam Wins U.S. House Seat in State’s 10th Congressional District
- The 37-year-old will join the Samosa Caucus with five other Indian Americans in the House of Representatives.
The Samosa Caucus in the U.S. Congress is poised to increase with the victory of Virginia Democratic state Sen. Suhas Subramanyam over Republican Mike Clancy in the state’s 10th Congressional District. With 85 percent of the vote counted, the 37-year-old Indian American had 52.8 percent of the vote to Clancy’s 47.2 percent, according to results from The New York Times. He will succeed fellow Democrat Jennifer Wexton, who did not seek reelection due to ill health.
”I am honored and humbled that the people of Virginia’s 10th District put their trust in me to take on the toughest fights and deliver results in Congress,” Subramanyam said in a statement. ”This district is my home. I got married here, my wife Miranda and I are raising our daughters here, and the issues our community faces are personal to our family. It is an honor to continue serving this district in Washington.”
In the U.S. Congress, Subramanyam, former technology policy adviser to President Barack Obama, will join five other Indian American Democrats — Reps. Ami Bera and Ro Khanna of California, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Shri Thanedar — all of whom are running for re-election. While Bera, Khanna, Krishnammorthi and Jayapal are poised to win their races, Thanedar defeated his Republican challenger Martell Bivings by 64.7%.
In an earlier interview, Subramanyam told American Kahani that he chose to run for Congress because he cares deeply about the community he represents in his home state. Over the years, he has not only seen a lot of the changes happening but has also felt the effects of some, he said, adding that he wants to address the “dysfunction and extremism in politics.” He describes himself as a “problem solver,” especially the “toughest” ones when the odds seem stacked against him.
The young lawmaker decided to run for the U.S. Congress seat, which overlaps his state Senate seat after getting positive feedback from his constituents in the “Democratic-leaning” and “diverse” district.” He has won five elections, and has “always had a good showing for Democrats,” he added. “I have a track record of success delivering for people all over the district and all the counties in the district,” he said. His U.S. Congress campaign has already received “a lot of support.”
Last November, Subramanyam, who has represented eastern Loudoun in the House of Delegates for the past four years, won his State Senate bid to represent District 3. He replaced the incumbent, Democrat John Bell, who did not seek reelection following a cancer diagnosis. Democrats fared well in the state, helping flip the House of Delegates to Democratic control, and preserving a blue majority in the state Senate.