Americans on Tuesday vote in elections that could determine the balance of power in Congress and shape politics across the country.

Amid the wider electoral battle, four candidates of Indian origin are chasing milestones that could expand the representation of the Indian-American community in public office.Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is running for governor of Ohio, Democrat Nithya Raman is challenging incumbent Karen Bass for mayor of Los Angeles, Democrat Pooja Sethi is contesting a seat in the Texas House of Representatives, and Democrat Pia Dandiya is seeking election to the US House from Florida.The four contests differ in their political stakes, the offices involved and the issues facing voters.

But each offers a glimpse into the growing presence of Indian Americans in US electoral politics.Here is what each candidate could achieve.Vivek Ramaswamy: A first Hindu governor?Vivek Ramaswamy could make history by becoming the first Indian-American governor of Ohio and the first Hindu governor in the United States.Born in Cincinnati to parents who immigrated from India, Ramaswamy grew up in a Hindu family.

He studied at Harvard University before earning a law degree from Yale Law School and building a career in biotechnology and investment.He founded Roivant Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company, in 2014 and subsequently became a prominent conservative political commentator.

His public profile grew during the 2024 presidential campaign, when he sought the Republican nomination before withdrawing and endorsing President Donald Trump.Ramaswamy became associated with Trump's efforts to reduce federal government spending and government bureaucracy.

He eventually turned his attention to Ohio politics, winning the Republican nomination for governor in May 2026.He is facing Democrat Amy Acton, a physician and former director of the Ohio Department of Health.

The winner will succeed Republican Governor Mike DeWine, who is term-limited.The contest is significant beyond Ramaswamy's background.

Ohio has voted Republican in recent presidential elections, and the outcome will test whether Democrats can regain the governorship after nearly two decades without holding it.Ramaswamy's candidacy also challenges assumptions about the relationship between immigrant identity and political ideology.

His Hindu heritage is distinct from the conservative Republican platform on which he is campaigning.Nithya Raman: Could Los Angeles get its first South Asian mayor?In California, urban planner and Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman is challenging incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in a contest that could make her the city's first South Asian mayor.Raman, who was born in India and moved to the US as a child, studied at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Before entering electoral politics, she worked on urban planning and homelessness-related issues.She made political history in 2020 when she won a seat on the Los Angeles City Council, becoming the first South Asian to serve on the council and the first Asian-American woman to hold the position.Her work has focused on housing affordability, homelessness and improving city services.

Those issues have also become central to her mayoral campaign, as Los Angeles continues to grapple with high housing costs and a persistent homelessness crisis.Bass, who is seeking re-election, has faced scrutiny over her administration's handling of homelessness and the city's response to the devastating Palisades fires in 2025.Raman has positioned herself as a candidate for change, while the contest has exposed divisions among Democrats over housing policy, policing and the direction of city government.The race is particularly notable because it is not a....