Indian-American civil rights lawyer Anuj Dixit has concluded his US Congressional bid for a Southern California House seat. Had he continued the race and won next year’s November election, he would have scripted history as the first LGBTQ Indian American elected to Congress, as per the Bay Area Reporter.
Alas, in a Wednesday (US time) announcement, he opened up about having changed his plans on the political field.
Why is Anuj Dixit ending his US Congressional bid?
In an official statement shared via X, Dixit wrote, “Proposition 50 has geographically reshaped the dynamics of this race. Accordingly, I am ending my campaign for the new CA-48.”
Dixit originally believed that he would be running against Congressmember Ken Calvert (R-Corona) in California’s 41 Congressional District. But with Prop 50 being passed in the statewide election, the redrawing of House districts put his Riverside and the Coachella Valley into the Republican Darrell Issa’s district. He is currently serving California’s 48th Congressional District.
Thanking everyone who believed in his team’s vision, Anuj reiterated his unwavering commitment to “safeguarding every individual’s voice in our democracy-and confronting those who seek to undermine that fundamental right.”
He further highlighted how US leaders’ choice made in the present will ultimately define the strength of the country’s democratic institutions in addition to impacting the availability of economic opportunities in the community. “For these reasons, I will do everything I can to help flip this seat from red to blue next November.”
Other Democratic candidates running against Darrell in the California – House District 48 elections are Brandon Riker, Ammar Campa-Najjar, Marni Von Wilpert, Abel Chavez, Ferguson Porter, Curtis Morrison, Suzanne Marie Dr Till and Whitney Shanahan, as per the official Federal Election Commission website.
Who is Anuj Dixit?
Dixit has been called a “son of Riverside County” on his official Congressional campaign website, as he grew up on March Air Force Base. As the youngest of two sons of Indian immigrants, Anuj is a six-year veteran of the US Air Force. Despite being a firm believer of the ‘American Dream,” Dixit still acknowledges that the same has been out of reach for way too many working and middle-class families.
As a result, the Indian-origin lawyer sought to play the role of a “voice” of middle-class families “in a system that is too often against them.” He’s worked towards achieving the same role as a lawyer.
His official profile further lists the lid on his loved identity as a Los Angeles Lakers fan and a UCLA and Columbia Law School graduate. In his mid-30s, Dixit has proudly voiced his stance against corporate PACs from making political contributions.
As of October 1, Dixit had raised $430,000 for his election campaign. Of these funds, $7,000 came from his own pocket. According to a poll released by Equality PAC last month, Anuj was trailing Issa and his fellow Democratic rivals.
Although his government profiles don’t mention him being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Dixit told the Bay Area Reporter, “y coming out story had its ups and downs, as is true for many people in our community, but ultimately, you know, I am proud to be part of a supportive family.”
As per multiple publicly available profiles, his fraternal grandparents died in the Pan Am 103 bombing on December 21, 1988.
What is Proposition 50?
Proposition 50, aka the Election Rigging Response Act, was passed earlier this month in California’s election. According to California’s State Secretary Shirley Weber’s election results statistics, the measure was passed with 64.6% of the vote. It means that over 7 million Californians voted for it to be greenlit.
It was proposed as a counter to Republican gerrymandering, which refers to the manipulation of boundaries of an electoral constituency in favour of a party or a group. And so, to flip the said manipulation in other US states, California looked up to Prop 50 to reconfigure its own districts.
Consequently, the state will be using new, legislatively drawn congressional districts map starting with the 2026 elections, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. California Governor Gavin Newsom viewed the proposition as a way for Democratic voters to “fight back” the Donald Trump administration.
However, about a week ago, the US Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the state over the new maps favouring Democrats. Officials went on to cite “substantial evidence” that Californian authorities’ new map used race as a ” proxy to advance political interests.”
The redrawing of districts is legal unless it is based on race.
On Tuesday (US time), a court ruling formally approved a ballot measure to counteract Texas’ redistricting. It has now cast a shadow on California’s future with Prop 50, but Newsom still remains optimistic about coming out of it unscathed.