Not one but three Indian-origin political leaders swept the local election races in the US on Tuesday, November 4 (US time). Coincidentally, all of them also happened to share their Democratic affiliation in common.

Although Zohran Mamdani‘s name inevitably rose to the top of the roster after winning the New York City mayor election, he was not the only one with Indian roots challenging Republican President Donald Trump and his MAGA camp’s anti-immigration politics. The historic victory streak was equally thankful to Aftab Pureval and Ghazala Hashmi, who became the faces of local races in Cincinnati and Virginia, respectively. While Mamdani and Hashmi mutually share their Muslim faith, Pureval has Punjabi Sikh roots.

3 major Indian-American winners at US elections on Nov 4

Who is Zohran Mamdani?

Yet to be sworn in, the 34-year-old assemblyman from Queens will soon become the youngest NYC mayor in the city’s history. Securing multiple firsts with his landmark victory on November 4, the Uganda-born assemblyman will be the first Muslim as well as the first Indian-American (and South Asian) to clinch the political title.

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The self-described Democratic socialist was just 7 years old when he first came to the United States. He was born to Indian parents in Uganda, with his mother Mira Nair being a prestigious Indian-American filmmaker, while his father Mahmood Mamdan is a Ugandan scholar. The New York City mayor-elect’s multi-faceted religious background is, in turn, attributed to his mother’s roots tracing back to a Hindu family, and his father being a Muslim.

Mamdani particularly gained mainstream attention earlier this year after defeating former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the NY primary. He ultimately faced off against the Democrat-turned-Independent candidate and Republican Curtis Sliwa in the November 4 NYC mayoral election.

According to his campaign’s official website (zohranfornyc.com), Mamdani was contesting in the NYC election “to lower the cost of living for working class New Yorkers.” The New York State assemblymember has been bent on making life easier in NYC by focussing on the following policies: 1. Freeze the rent, 2. Fast, fare free buses, 3. The Department of Community Safety, 4. No cost childcare, 5. City-owned grocery stores, 6. Housing by and for New York, 7. Cracking down on bad landlords, 8. Taxes on big corporations and the wealthiest New Yorkers.

Who is Ghazala Hashmi?

Beating Republican John Reid, Hashmi won the Virginia lieutenant governor’s race, earning the title as the country’s first Muslim woman elected to statewide office. Moreover, she is also the first Indian American to be elected across the state. Having campaigned on the Democratic ticket, she vowed to stand up to the Trump administration. She was elected to the state senate in 2019.

Born in India’s Hyderabad, the 61-year-old representative is “an experienced educator and advocate of inclusive values and social justice, her legislative priorities include public education, voting rights and the preservation of democracy, reproductive freedom, gun violence prevention, the environment, housing and affordable healthcare access,” according to her official profile.

She emigrated to the US with her mother and brother when she was just four years old. In the past, she served as a professor at the University of Richmond and Reynolds Community College. During her time at Reynolds, she also stepped up as the Founding Director of the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). She has a BA with honours from Georgia Southern University and a PhD in American literature from Emory University.

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Who is Aftab Pureval?

Back in 2021, Aftab Karma Singh Pureval scripted history by becoming Cincinnati’s first Asian-American mayor. On Tuesday, he took back the post in a re-election victory against Republican candidate Cory Bowman, who is Vice President JD Vance’s half-brother. Although his office is nonpartisan, Aftab’s party preference has emerged as Democratic, according to PBS.

Before taking on the responsibilities of a city mayor, he worked as a lawyer. Like Mamdani, Pureval is also the son of an inter-faith couple. According to his official profile, his Tibetan mother fled Communist Chinese occupation as a child. Ultimately growing up in a Southern Indian refugee camp, she went on to meet Aftab’s Punjabi father as a student.

From Tibet to India, his family ultimately sought the American Dream, and he grew up in the suburb of Beavercreek, Ohio. During his formative years, Pureval studied political science at the Ohio State University before moving on to pursue a law degree at the University of Cincinnati. While at law school, he worked with UC Domestic Violence Clinic and represented abuse survivors.

Returning to Cincinnati in 2021, he went on to work at the Department of Justice and Procter & Gamble. “Since day one in office, Aftab has fought for working families, labour, and making public service work for the people – not the powerful,” reads his profile (aftabformayor.com)