Three Indian-American Democratic politicians have lost their 2026 primary contests to progressive challengers, highlighting the growing influence of the party’s left wing ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections. The defeats include two-term Congressman Shri Thanedar in Michigan, New York Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar and Georgia state Senate candidate Rahul Garabadu.
The results underscore the challenges facing establishment Democrats from candidates backed by progressive organisations, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) activists and prominent left-wing lawmakers. Yet Indian-American voters continue to favour Democratic candidates by a wide margin, according to a survey conducted by AAPI Vote and AAPI Data this summer.
All six Indian-American members currently serving in the US House of Representatives are Democrats, making the primary defeats a significant development for a community whose political representation has grown in recent years.
Thanedar Loses Michigan Primary Despite $5 Million War Chest
Thanedar, who represents Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, lost the August 4 Democratic primary to state Representative Donavan McKinney. According to Michigan Public, McKinney secured 51.9% of the vote against Thanedar’s 48.1%, ending the incumbent’s bid for another term.
McKinney received backing from Justice Democrats, which spent nearly $1 million on the contest, as well as Senator Bernie Sanders and Representatives Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar and Summer Lee.
Thanedar, meanwhile, was backed by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The incumbent was also a self-funder with approximately $5 million on hand, compared with the $1.37 million McKinney had raised, according to the Michigan Advance.
The result demonstrated that substantial campaign resources and support from Democratic leadership were not enough to overcome a well-organised progressive challenge.
“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.
McKinney framed his victory as a mandate for a more grassroots-driven Democratic Party.
“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,” he said.
The Michigan contest was part of a broader pattern of primary challenges confronting Democratic incumbents and candidates perceived as belonging to the party establishment.
In New York, Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar lost her June 23 primary in Assembly District 38 in Queens to Democratic Socialists of America member David Orkin. With more than 94% of votes counted, Orkin received 58.8% against Rajkumar’s 40.9%.
Orkin was backed by New York City DSA and DRUM Beats, a South Asian working-class organisation. He described the outcome as a “historic win for the left and for the working people of South Queens,” according to the Queens Chronicle. Jewish Telegraphic Agency described Orkin as an anti-Zionist Jewish candidate.
Rajkumar, first elected in 2020, became the first Indian-American woman elected to New York state office.
The campaign was contentious. Orkin filed a lawsuit alleging forged petition signatures, but the case was dismissed on procedural grounds. Rajkumar accused the DSA of conducting 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.
Georgia Defeat Adds to Progressive Challenge Against Democrats
In Georgia, Rahul Garabadu lost the June 16 Democratic runoff for state Senate District 7 in Gwinnett County to state Representative Ruwa Romman. Romman secured 4,636 votes, or 60.1%, against Garabadu’s 3,073 votes, or 39.9%.
Romman received endorsements from Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Congressman Hank Johnson. The district has a sizeable Asian-American electorate, including Indian-American voters.
“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.
Romman, meanwhile, presented her victory as evidence of the strength of progressive organising.
“We proved tonight that progressive values and grassroots power are more powerful than special interests,” she said.
The progressive movement also has prominent Indian-American and South Asian figures of its own. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city’s first Indian-American mayor, is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
In California, progressive candidate Saikat Chakrabarti finished third in the June 2 primary for the 11th Congressional District. In North Carolina, South Asian progressive Nida Allam narrowly lost to incumbent Valerie Foushee in the March 3 primary for the 4th Congressional District, receiving 48.2% against Foushee’s 49.2%.
The defeats came during a primary cycle in which 12 House incumbents lost their contests, seven of them Democrats, according to the figures cited in the report.
Not every Indian-American Democratic defeat, however, reflected a confrontation with the party’s left. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi lost the Illinois Senate Democratic primary in March to Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton in a contest between establishment Democrats.
Despite the setbacks, Indian-American voters remain a strong constituency for the Democratic Party. An AAPI Vote/AAPI Data survey conducted this summer found that Indian-American voters favoured Democratic House candidates over Republicans by 66% to 18%.
The contrast is significant: while Indian-American voters continue to lean heavily Democratic, the candidates representing them face competing pressures over the party’s direction. The November 3 midterm elections will test whether progressive primary victories translate into broader electoral gains and how the Democratic Party balances establishment support with demands for a more left-wing agenda.