At least nine Indian-American Republicans are contesting the November 3 US midterm elections, including Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio’s closely watched gubernatorial race, as opposition to the H-1B visa programme intensifies within their own party. The political tension puts candidates of Indian origin in a difficult position as Republican leaders increasingly frame employment-based immigration as a threat to American workers.
Vice President JD Vance sharpened that rhetoric on Thursday, arguing that most H-1B visa holders were being used to replace American employees. His remarks come amid the Trump administration’s $100,000 fee on certain H-1B petitions, which has faced repeated legal challenges, and a suspension of the employment-based green-card route for eight technology companies.
For Indian-American Republicans, the debate presents a political challenge beyond immigration policy. They must defend their party’s position on legal immigration while appealing to voters in communities where H-1B visas and employment-based green cards have long been important pathways for skilled professionals.
“Unfortunately, what we see with most H-1Bs is that you’re taking somebody, I’m sure in most cases, a decent human being, and they’re using them to replace an American middle class worker,” Vance told reporters.
“We want a lot of other people to come into the United States of America if they have truly elite specialized skills,” he added.
Ramaswamy’s Ohio Governor Race Faces Competitive Test
Ramaswamy, the prominent Indian-American entrepreneur and Republican politician, is running against Democrat Amy Acton in Ohio’s gubernatorial election. All three major election forecasters cited in the report rate the contest as a toss-up, while polling averages on Saturday showed Acton ahead by between 4.6 and 4.8 percentage points.
The race puts Ramaswamy at the centre of a wider debate over the Republican Party’s relationship with immigrant communities and its increasingly restrictive approach to employment-based immigration.
In New York, Trump-endorsed Saritha Komatireddy is challenging Democratic Attorney General Letitia James. A Siena poll conducted from September 11 to 17 put James ahead by 52% to 39%.
Komatireddy has highlighted her federal experience and connections to the Trump administration in making her case to voters.
“I worked for the DEA administrator while Joe Biden was president… I was nominated to be a federal judge by President Trump,” she told NY1 in August.
Republicans have also nominated three Indian-American candidates for the US House of Representatives, although all face difficult contests in strongly Democratic districts.
Ritesh Tandon is challenging Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna in California’s 17th Congressional District. Nirav Sheth is running against Representative Pramila Jayapal in Washington’s 7th District, while Mahesh “Max” Ganorkar is challenging Representative Valerie Foushee in North Carolina’s 4th District.
Sheth, who was born and raised in India, moved to the United States in 2008 as an engineering student and later served in the US Marine Corps. His campaign presents legal immigration as consistent with American values.
“As an Immigrant, I know that legal immigration not only ensures a successful integration into our great nation but also upholds the values of fairness, opportunity, and diversity that make the US a beacon of hope for those seeking a better life,” he says on his campaign website.
At the state level, New York Assemblyman Anil Beephan Jr and Tennessee state Representative Sabi “Doc” Kumar are seeking re-election. Former Indian Space Research Organisation scientist Vinaya Singh is challenging a Democratic incumbent in the California Assembly, while Ashok Baddi is running for the Michigan House.
Texas Immigration Crackdown Intensifies Pressure on Indian Americans
The political pressure has been particularly pronounced in Texas, where restrictions on H-1B hiring and increasingly hard-line rhetoric on immigration have raised concerns among Indian-American Republicans.
According to the Texas Tribune, Governor Greg Abbott froze new H-1B petitions at state agencies and universities in January. Republican Congressman Brandon Gill has called for a freeze on all legal immigration.
Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris defended the state’s position, telling the Texas Tribune that the government “cannot allow a program intended only to supplement the American workforce to be exploited to displace qualified US workers or suppress wages.”
The rhetoric has extended beyond employment policy. Texas attorney general candidate Aaron Reitz spoke of an “invasion of un-assimilated and un-assimilable Indians,” according to the report.
The backlash has also reached local elections. Indian-American candidates, including Republican Sreekanth Reddy, lost their contests in Frisco’s spring city council and school board elections.
“I think a lot of the people who voted for Trump wouldn’t now. It’s been disappointing,” Reddy told the Texas Tribune.
Another Frisco Republican, Vijay Karthik, said members of the community had urged the party not to alienate them.
“We’ve talked about this with the Republican Party, saying, don’t alienate us…,” Karthik said.
Ramaswamy has faced attacks from the far right as well. The Texas Tribune reported that commentator Nick Fuentes called him an “anchor baby who got your birthright citizenship from your H-1B parents.”
Ramaswamy has publicly rejected ethnic and racial hostility within the conservative movement. Speaking at Turning Point’s AmericaFest in December 2025, he said, as quoted by The Washington Post: “If you believe in normalizing hatred towards any ethnic group – toward Whites, toward Blacks, towards Hispanics, towards Jews, towards Indians, you have no place in the future of the conservative movement.”
The criticism of H-1B visas is particularly consequential for Indian-American voters, many of whom have family, professional or personal connections to employment-based immigration.
An AAPI Data survey in February found that 68% of Indian-American voters believed Trump had gone too far in restricting legal immigration, the Texas Tribune reported. A separate AAPI Vote/AAPI Data survey conducted this summer found that 74% viewed Trump unfavourably.
The figures highlight the gap between Republican immigration messaging and the preferences of a community the party has sought to attract through sustained outreach.
Since 2021, the Republican National Committee has opened community centres as part of its engagement strategy, including one in Coppell, Texas, inaugurated with a Diwali ceremony.
Indian-American Republicans have previously reached the highest levels of state politics. Bobby Jindal served as governor of Louisiana and Nikki Haley as governor of South Carolina, making them the first two Indian-American governors in the United States.
However, all six Indian-American members currently serving in the US House of Representatives are Democrats.
The November 3 elections will test whether Republican candidates of Indian origin can maintain support amid the party’s increasingly restrictive immigration agenda. For candidates such as Ramaswamy, the challenge is not simply winning votes but navigating a political debate in which legal immigration, economic competition and ethnic identity have become increasingly intertwined.