Washington: Democrats made significant gains in the US mid-term elections, flipping the gubernatorial race in Georgia and positioning themselves to wrest key Senate seats from Republicans, delivering a stinging rebuke to President Donald Trump.
Indian-American candidates Suhas Subramanyam, 40, and Pia Dandiya, 39, won their seats in the US House of Representatives from Virginia and Florida, respectively, while 61-year-old Aruna Miller was re-elected as Maryland’s Lt. Governor.
Dandiya, a former high school principal, became the newest Indian-American to be elected to the US House, defeating Republican Casey Askar in Florida’s 22nd Congressional district. Subramanyam was re-elected from Virginia’s 10th congressional district.
Trump favourite Indian-American Vivek Ramaswamy was defeated in Ohio’s gubernatorial race, the home state of Vice President J. D. Vance, by Democrat Amy Acton after a bitter campaign that left the Republican Party divided.
Democrat Nithya Raman, who was born in Kerala, is locked in a keen contest with her former boss Karen Bass for the post of Mayor of Los Angeles, the US’s second-largest city.
Indian-American lawmakers Ro Khanna, Ami Bera, and Pramila Jayapal are seeking re-election to the US House of Representatives, while fellow Democrat Amish Shah is in the fray in competitive races to make their debut as Congresspersons.
Democrat Roy Cooper flipped the North Carolina US Senate seat, while Annie Andrews wrested the South Carolina seat from Darline Graham, another Trump favourite.
Georgia made history when Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected the state’s first Black governor, defeating Republican nominee Rick Jackson.
In the Republican stronghold of Texas, Democrat James Talarico was leading the US Senate race against Ken Paxton, who was endorsed by Trump. If Talarico wins the race, he would become the first Democrat Senator from Texas in 38 years.
Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff was re-elected in Georgia. He is seen as a potential presidential candidate in the 2028 elections.
In Michigan’s 13th district, Democrat Donavan McKinney, who was backed by socialists, won the seat in the US House of Representatives, defeating Republican T P Nykoriak. McKinney had defeated Indian-American Shri Thanedar in the Democratic primary election.
Over 210 million Americans were eligible to vote in the elections, which began at 6.00 am eastern time on Tuesday for 435 seats of the US House of Representatives, 37 seats of the US Senate, 36 posts of state governors and a slew of local public offices.
According to some preliminary national results of CNN’s Voter Poll, voters were broadly unhappy with the state of the nation, the condition of the economy and Trump’s job performance.
Trump was in his White House office throughout the day with his advisors as Americans lined up to vote at polling booths across the country.
On Tuesday afternoon, he shared endorsements for Republican candidates in a series of posts on X.
Speaking to staffers and volunteers at a phone bank in Washington, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said the Democrats were on the brink of dramatic change and on the brink of taking back the House.
We’re going to deliver a Congress that actually puts the American people first, he said.
A Fox News voters’ survey found that the most important issue facing the country is the economy, followed closely by the state of democracy.
At the White House, Trump was watching the pre-election results coverage on Fox News but complained about a liberal commentator on the television channel.
“Watching the Pre-Election Results on Fox News, but I can’t stand Jessica Tarlov’s voice DUMB AS A ROCK, but it’s the voice that gets me. Have to go somewhere else until that LOSER is off the air. I’ll be back later,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Throughout the day, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Interior Secretary Doug Burgham and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin spoke to reporters about the achievements of the Trump administration.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was seen entering the West Wing of the White House and indicated that he would not like to speak.
In a post on X, Vice President J D Vance sought to remind voters about the Trump administration’s effort to cut taxes over the past year and a half.
We ended taxes on overtime. We ended taxes on tips. We ended taxes on Social Security, Vance wrote on the social media platform.
The elections will decide whether President Trump’s Republican Party retains control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the two chambers of the US Congress, or, as opinion polls are predicting, the Democratic Party wrests control of at least the House if not the Senate, also in the final two years of Trump’s second term in office.
