Two Indian Americans win Congressional primaries in Michigan & Kansas

Two Indian Americans, one Democrat and the other Republican, have won respective party nominations to Contest US Congressional races in Michigan and Kansas in November.

Congressman Shri Thanedar, who is seeking re-election in Michigan’s 13th Congressional Primary, has secured the Democratic nomination to contest the Nov 5 general election.

The Associated Press reported that Thanedar, who had previously won the seat in the 2022 elections, received more than 55% of the vote in Tuesday’s district primary. For the Democratic nomination, he faced off against Mary Waters, a member of the Detroit City Council, and Shakira Lynn Hawkins, an attorney.

Thanedar will face Republican Martell Bivings, who ran unopposed in the Aug 6 Republican primary, in November’s general election in a heavily Democratic district.

“I want to thank my opponents for running and participating in the democratic process,” Thanedar said at his election night party in Detroit.

“I thank US House Democratic Leadership for endorsing me, as well as the unions and groups that supported my campaign. Now, I’m looking forward to helping Vice President Kamala Harris and [her running mate, Minnesota] Gov. Tim Walz win Michigan so we can do even more for my constituents.”

“Everywhere I go, constituents always come up to me and tell me how my office helped them get their tax returns, sort out their VA benefits, get in touch with FEMA, etc. That is a testament to my team and I couldn’t be prouder of all their hard work and how effective we are in serving our constituents, ” he stated.

“I’m also proud of the money we were able to bring back to the district. We were able to get $342 million for infrastructure projects and $15 million for community projects throughout the district for workforce development, infrastructure upgrades, surviving extreme weather events, and more. I’m especially thankful that I was able to bring federal dollars to municipalities that haven’t received federal money in decades,” he said, citing his achievements.

While serving as the ranking member of two subcommittees pertaining to small business and homeland security, Thanedar was a co- or sponsor of more than 520 bills during his first term in office.

Thanedar’s 2022 win was significant given that he was the first non-Black representative in over 70 years from the newly redrawn 13th District which is now 45% Black.

It covers most of Detroit, Hamtramck, Grosse Pointe, and the Downriver communities. He occupies the seat held by Democratic US Rep. Brenda Lawrence of Southfield, the state’s sole African American in Congress, who retired at the end of her term.

Meanwhile, in Kansas, Prasanth Reddy won the Republican nomination for US House in Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District, while State Sen Usha Reddi, a Democrat, advanced to the Nov. 5 election.

Reddy, an oncology and internal medicine specialist, defeated small business owner Karen Crnkovich for the right to challenge three-term US Rep Sharice Davids, the only Democrat in the state’s congressional delegation.

Reddy said he’s running for Congress now “to be an independent voice for this district, and to secure the American Dream.”

“We can’t secure the American Dream if families are struggling to make ends meet if our border is open, and if our country is weak around the world,” he stated.

READ: Addressing immigration top priority for Kansas congressional candidate Prasanth Reddy (June 26, 2024)

Usha Reddi, who ran unopposed, has been representing District 22 since Jan 11, 2023, when the former commissioner and former mayor of Manhattan replaced longtime Senator Tom Hawk.

The 59-year-old was elected to serve on the Manhattan City Commission in April 2013 and was re-elected in 2017 to a four-year term of office.

She served as mayor in 2016-2017 and in 2020. Previously, she was an educator in Manhattan-Ogden public schools, where she served a term as president of their National Education Association chapter.

In 2020, she announced her bid to run for a US Senate seat to represent Kansas, but she suspended her campaign before the Aug 4 Democratic primary.