Two exceptionally close races in California will determine whether the only Indian-American in the US Congress (Ami Bera) is able to retain his seat, with the added possibility or otherwise of another making it to the Capitol Hill (Ro Khanna).
All eyes are on Silicon Valley, where Khanna, backed by some of the top executives of the tech world, is taking on a fellow-Democrat and a seven-term Congressman at that, Mike Honda.
During the Democratic primaries last summer, Honda prevailed easily with a 20 percentage point lead over Khanna. But California rules permit the runner-up to contest as well in the Congressional race, so the challenger has dug his heels in for what is being regarded as one of the most expensive House contests.
In recent months, Khanna has gone on to steadily close the gap. A poll by the local CBS now shows the two candidates in a statistical dead heat with 28 per cent of voters still undecided.A former Obama administration official, Khanna has been endorsed by the likes of Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.
But the Obamas themselves are backing Honda. First lady Michelle Obama made her pitch through robo-calls, saying: “I’m calling because Barack and I are counting on you to support Mike Honda and the Democratic ticket this November 4. Your vote for Mike Honda will make a real difference in supporting our President.”
The other contest in California’s 7th Congressional district, involving Congressman Bera, is also proving to be a cliffhanger. Bera faces Doug Ose, a businessman and former Republican Congressman.In contrast to these two keen contests, Nikki Randhawa Haley, the Indian-American Governor of South Carolina, looks set for a comfortable victory over her Democratic challenger, Vincent Sheheen. Four different polls have projected a big lead for Haley over Sheheen, a State Senator who had taken her on in 2010 as well. A RealClearPolitics average of polls puts Haley ahead by 15.5 percentage points.
It is a different story, however, in another gubernatorial race. Republican Neel Kashkari, the Indian-American hopeful, is fighting with his back to the wall against California’s Democratic Governor Jerry Brown. A former Bush administration official, Kashkari has not been able to make much of a dent against Brown, who leads by over 18 percentage points in several polls.