Pia Dandiya's Win Gives Shrinking "Samosa Caucas" Fresh Boost In US Congress

The Indian-American presence in the US House of Representatives is set to get a fresh boost, with Democrat Pia Dandiya winning a closely contested seat in Florida. Her victory comes at a time when the informal group of Indian-American lawmakers, popularly known as the "Samosa Caucus," was facing the prospect of losing two of its members.

Dandiya, a former school principal whose parents immigrated from India, defeated Republican Casey Askar in Florida's 22nd Congressional District on Wednesday. She secured around 52 per cent of the vote, against Askar's 48 per cent.

Her win adds another Indian-American woman to the House and changes the picture for the caucus, which had been staring at a possible reduction from six members to four.

The group could even return to its full strength of six if Indian-American physician and former state lawmaker Amish Shah holds on to his lead in Arizona.

READ | Pramila Jayapal To Ro Khanna: How Indian-Origin Faces Performed In US Elections

New Wins, Familiar Faces

In Virginia, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam won re-election in the 10th Congressional District, defeating Republican Dave Beckwith.

"The campaign is over, but the work is just beginning. I look forward to working with our community to deliver change in Washington," Subramanyam said in a statement.

On the West Coast, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal was projected to retain Washington state's 7th Congressional District, defeating Republican Nirav Sheth.

California Congressman Ro Khanna also secured another term in the 17th Congressional District after defeating Republican Ritesh Tandon.

Ami Bera, who represents California, was leading Republican Robb Tucker by around 60 per cent to 40 per cent in the state's newly redrawn 3rd Congressional District.

Meanwhile, in Arizona's 1st Congressional District, Amish Shah was ahead of Republican Jay Feely. If Shah wins, the Samosa Caucus will once again have six members.

Why The Caucus Was Facing A Setback

The group had reached its highest strength of six members in January 2025, when Suhas Subramanyam was sworn in after winning Virginia's 10th Congressional District.

He joined Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Shri Thanedar.

But two departures threatened to bring those numbers down.

Krishnamoorthi, who represents Illinois's 8th Congressional District, gave up his House seat to contest the US Senate election. He lost the March 17 Democratic primary to Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton.

Stratton secured 40.39 per cent of the vote, while Krishnamoorthi received 32.71 per cent.

"Obviously, this is not the result we sought... But unlike Donald Trump, I'm not going to question the outcome. I'm proud of the race we ran," Krishnamoorthi said after conceding defeat.

Thanedar also failed to secure another term. He lost the August 4 Democratic primary in Michigan's 13th Congressional District to state Representative Donavan McKinney, who won 51.9 per cent of the vote against Thanedar's 48.1 per cent.

McKinney had received the backing of Justice Democrats, which spent nearly $1 million supporting his campaign. Senator Bernie Sanders also endorsed him.

"I want to congratulate Representative Donavan McKinney on a hard fought race... It was the honor of my life to represent the 13th District in the United States Congress," Thanedar said in a Facebook statement on August 5.

How The Samosa Caucus Grew

Indian-American representation in the US Congress was limited for decades. Before 2012, only two Indian Americans had served in Congress. Democrat Dalip Singh Saund represented California from 1957 to 1963, while Republican Bobby Jindal represented Louisiana from 2005 to 2008.

Ami Bera's election in 2012 marked the beginning of a bigger Indian-American presence in the Congress.

The numbers grew in 2017, when Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, and Raja Krishnamoorthi entered the House. Shri Thanedar joined in 2023, followed by Suhas Subramanyam in 2025.

With Dandiya's victory and Shah's lead in Arizona, the group is now looking to maintain its numbers rather than suffer the losses it had feared.

There is little immediate scope for further expansion in January, as no other Indian-American candidate is considered a competitive nominee for a House seat.

Indian Americans number around 5.5 million, accounting for roughly 1.6 per cent of the US population. Their growing presence in Congress reflects a steady rise in political representation over the past decade.