In a year that witnessed a troubling spike in anti-Indian hate and online trolling in the United States, several leaders from the Indian diaspora surely knew how to leave their mark on American politics. With around 71% of all H-1B approvals going to Indian nationals in FY 2024, visa programs, and immigration at large, particularly got caught in the crosshairs under the 2.0 Trump administration.

Despite the general sentiment arising from the far-right painting those of Indian descent in a bad light, politicians like Zohran Mamdani, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal were bent on flipping the narrative upside down. On the other side of the US politics spectrum, the likes of Vivek Ramaswamy and Harmeet Dhillon pledged their allegiance to the right-wing.

As divided as all aspects of this discussion may be, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that they all helped put the Indian-American community on the US politics map.

Top Indian-American politicians in US politics news in 2025

Vivek Ramaswamy

Indian origin: Son to parents from South India who came to the US before he was born.

The CEO-turned-politician went from wanting to become the US president to running for Governor in his home state of Ohio. As a registered Republican, the biotech pharma company Roivant Sciences’ founder particularly sent shockwaves through the MAGA camp this year.

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As the former front-running DOGE leader alongside Elon Musk, he not only publicly sounded off his support for H-1B visas in late 2024, but also repeatedly questioned what makes one an American. The 40-year-old US politician was also often found taking a stand for his Hindu faith at late conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA events this year.

Although initially recognised as an “anti-woke” crusader, Ramaswamy still challenged conservatives, most recently at the Turning Point AmericaFest in Arizona, for stirring the pot of anti-Indian hate in 2025.

He made heads turn at the December conference for questioning the likes of white nationalist activist Nick Fuentes. The right-wing podcaster has repeatedly made racist comments about Indian-origin Second Lady Usha Vance, and most recently even used an anti-Indian racial slur against her. Ramaswamy was quick to call Fuentes out, that too, not once but twice within days (in an NYT op-ed and at the AmFest 2026).

Regardless of the backlash the Indian-origin Republican may have faced from conservatives this past year, it didn’t stop him from consolidating his standing on the billionaire index. According to Forbes’ November report, Ramaswamy witnessed an 80% boost in his net worth, as he attained the $1.8 billion mark, all while running his Ohio gubernatorial campaign.

Harmeet K Dhillon

India origin: Born in Chandigarh

She was originally revered as a nationally recognised civil rights and constitutional law attorney until President Trump nominated her as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the US Department of Justice. In April 2025, she was confirmed by the US Senate and ultimately sworn in as AAG.

Prior to her role in the Trump administration, Harmeet Dhillon founded Dhillon Law Group Inc, a legal practice with offices in California, Florida, Virginia and New Jersey, and the Centre for American Liberty, a non-profit organisation.

As part of her most recent moves on the political globe, the Indian-origin Trump aide gave her word to probe US tech firms that may potentially be hiring only H-1B workers and ruling out American professionals altogether.

Just days ago, Dhillon also urged her fellow right-wingers to re-focus on “fixing” the country and solutions instead of giving more attention to “conservative influencer wars.”

Historic local election day for Indian Americans: Nov 4

November 4, 2025, served quite a big blow to those fuelling anti-India rhetoric in the US, as not one but three Indian-origin winners stole the spotlight in local US electoral races. While Zohran Mamdani was making history on multiple levels in New York City, Ghazala Hashmi and Aftab Pureval were doing wonders in Virginia and Cincinnati, respectively.

Zohran Mamdani

India origin: Son to parents of Indian descent (Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani)

The American politician had the whole world grooving to the hit tunes of the Bollywood anthem “Dhoom Machale” when he became the Big Apple’s first Indian-American, Muslim, and African-born mayor. Achieving one too many firsts, Mamdani will officially be sworn in as NYC’s youngest mayor in over a century.

Mamdani became the focus of mainstream news flashes with his anti-billionaire agenda for NYC, vowing to lower the cost of living for working class New Yorkers. The Trump angle in the NYC mayoral race further elevated Mamdani’s name to viral fame on the Internet.

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The initial shock factor tied to the inexperienced assemblyman’s identity may have revolved around him going up against Andrew Cuomo, a former New York Governor, who was, in turn the son of former governor Mario Cuomo.

However, Mamdani’s mayoral run eventually turned into a controversial saga, which wasn’t just fuelled by him calling Trump a “fascist,” but also his hate for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and his pro-Palestinian ideology edging over to what many viewed as an anti-Israel sentiment. Beyond his global origins and his Muslim faith, the NYC mayor-elect’s former rap career as ‘Mr Cardamom’ also drew attention.

His 2017 track “Salaam” especially emerged a contentious link penning his “love to convicted Hamas funders,” aka the heads of the now-defunct Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, as per the Canary Mission, a group fighting antisemitism.

Aftab Pureval

India origin: Son to a Tibetan mother, who grew up in a Southern Indian refugee camp, and Punjabi father

On November 4, Aftab Karma Singh Pureval consolidated his past history-making streak by winning a second term as Cincinnati’s mayor. Back in 2021, he became the US city’s first Asian-American mayor. To retain his post this year, he beat Republican candidate Cory Bowman, who is Vice President JD Vance’s half-brother.

Before embracing his duties as a city mayor, he worked as a lawyer, and even had a stint at the Department of Justice. Moreover, he even represented abuse survivors while pursuing a law degree at the University of Cincinnati, and his connection with the varsity’s Domestic Violence Clinic at the time.

All was possible thanks to his inter-faith parents aspiring for the American Dream, as Pureval ultimately grew up in the suburb of Beavercreek, Ohio.

Ghazala Hashmi

India origin: Born in Hyderabad

Scoring big in Virginia on November 4, Hashmi became the US state’s lieutenant governor by defeating her front-running contender, Republican John Reid. Her win was especially momentous as she is America’s first Muslim woman elected to statewide office.

The Democrat’s official campaign profile speaks volumes about her political position being totally anti the Trump administration. As an “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,” her website details.

Samosa Caucus’ US Congress milestone

In a never-been-achieved-before landmark moment for Indian Americans in US politics, a total of six leaders of the community were sworn in as members of the US House of Representative in January. This was especially a big win, as the number accounted for the largest representation of the Indian diaspora in the US Congress.

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The six Indian Americans, that too all from the Democratic Party, together constitute as members of an informal ‘Samosa Caucus,’ as coined by Rep Raja Krishnamoorthi (Illinois).

  • Ami Bera: Born to Indian immigrant parents in Los Angeles, he was sworn in as a member of the US House of Representatives for the seventh consecutive term. He has been representing Sacramento County, the 6th Congressional District of California, since 2013. As the senior-most in the group, he’d hoped for 10 Indian Americans in the House of Representatives when he was first sworn in. Having had a decades-long medical career, he currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, and on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
  • Ro Khanna: The 17th Congressional District of California representative was born in Philadelphia to Indian parents. In January 2025, the Democrat was sworn in for a fifth consecutive term. Khanna prominently gained attention from all political sides in the US this year for joining forces with Republican Thomas Massie to co-author the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Through it, they and other Congress members, pushed the Justice Department to release all files related to the late convicted sex offender by a Dec 19 deadline.
  • Pramila Jayapal: Born in Chennai, India, the US representative from Washington’s 7th congressional district was also sworn in for her fifth Congress term in a row this year. Originally elected in 2016, she is the first Indian (and South Asian) American elected to the US House of Representatives and one of only two dozen naturalized citizens currently serving in the United States Congress. As a leader on immigration, she spent 12 years as the founder and Executive Director of OneAmerica, the largest immigrant advocacy organisation in Washington State. Most recently, she challenged the Trump admin’s tariff regime and blamed it for damaging the friendship between India and the US. She also held the hefty duties responsible for hitting out against India’s economy and hurting American businesses.
  • Raja Krishnamoorthi: Although now serving as the US representative for Illinois’s 8th congressional district since 2017, he was born in New Delhi, India. Krishnamoorthi is also a Ranking Member of the powerful China Committee and a House Intelligence Committee member. The Illinois Democrat has been vocally critical of the Trump admin’s anti-immigration vocabulary. Earlier this month, he joined other leaders to introduce a resolution to terminate Trump’s tariffs on India. Moreover, in November, he reintroduced the High-Skilled Immigration Reform for Employment (HIRE) Act, urging that the number of H-1B visas available each year be doubled from the current 65,000 regular cap.
  • Shri Thanedar: Serving as the representative from the 13th Congressional District of Michigan since 2023, the business-author-politician was born in a Marathi family in Belgaum (present-day Karnataka, then-Bombay). The PhD scientist went from having a poor childhood in India to leading a group of chemistry-based companies, with Chemir Analytic Services as his flagship firm. He, too, has joined many others in publicly accusing Trump of “covering up” something in connection with the Epstein Files. Republicans also gave Thanedar a hard time for his “pro-H-1B agenda” at a bipartisan hearing on AI earlier this month.
  • Suhas Subramanyam: Now representing 10th Congressional District of Virginia, the US politician-attorney was the newest Indian-origin member to be included in the House of Representatives in January. Born to Tamil parents from India in Texas, Subramanyam became the first Indian American elected to the Virginia General Assembly during the Obama administration in 2019. He previously served as White House advisor during the Biden admin. Among many other anti-Trump comments he’s made over the year, Subramanyam most notably told NDTV World amid strained US-India ties in September, “With friends like Trump, who needs enemies. He also called tariffs “illegal.”