- By Ajeet Kumar
- Wed, 05 Nov 2025 12:11 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
India-origin American leaders outshone in the November 4 elections in the United States. In the mayor and governor elections, at least three Indian-origin leaders clinched historic victory. First, Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old Indian-descent, defeated independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in the closely-watched battle for New York City Mayor.
The victory is considered is stunning rise from state lawmaker to the Mayor of America's largest city will inspire generations, particularly the Indian-American community.
ALSO READ: Zohran Mamdani: Who Is New York's Youngest And First Indian-Origin Muslim Mayor?
Indian-origin Ghazala Hashmi wins Virginia Lieutenant Governor election
Second— Ghazala Hashmi, an India-born American, has been elected as Virginia's Lieutenant Governor. She became the first Muslim and South Asian American to be elected to the top political post in the state.
Hashmi, 61, a Democrat, secured 1,465,634 votes (54.2 per cent), way ahead of her Republican rival John Reid, who secured 1,232,242 votes, with 79 per cent of the votes in.
The Virginia State Senator, who emerged victorious on Election Day on Tuesday, was among the over 30 Indian-Americans and South Asian candidates running for office for key nationwide positions in the 2025 elections.
Hashmi's election was among the most-closely watched as she was in the fray for the top state post. Hashmi is the first Muslim and the first South Asian American to serve in the Virginia Senate.
Hashmi was first elected to office in November 2019, upsetting the Republican incumbent and delivering the majority to Democrats for the first time in years and shocking the political establishment. Indian American Impact Fund noted that Hashmi had made history in 2019 with her victory, flipping the Republican-held seat to help Democrats take control of the State Senate.
“Tonight she's made history again as Virginia's first South Asian American and Muslim Lieutenant Governor. Impact was proud to support her from the very beginning because we knew what was at stake: protecting our rights, defending our communities from MAGA extremism, and expanding opportunity for all who call Virginia home.”
Aftab Pureval wins Cincinnati mayoral race
Third- Democrat Aftab Pureval won reelection as mayor of Cincinnati on Tuesday, defeating Cory Bowman, a Republican who is Vice President J D Vance's half-brother. Pureval was first elected mayor in 2021. The office is officially nonpartisan, but his party preference is Democratic.
He won the all-party municipal primary in May with more than 80 per cent of the vote. Prior to running for mayor, he worked as a lawyer. Aftab Pureval was born on September 9, 1982, in Xenia, Ohio, to immigrant parents — his father, Devinder Singh Pureval, is of Punjabi Indian origin, and his mother, Drenko, is a Tibetan refugee. When he was four, the family relocated to Beavercreek, Ohio.
He is married to Dr. Whitney Whitis, an internal medicine specialist at Bethesda North Hospital, and together they have two sons, Bodhi and Rami.
With roots in both Punjabi and Tibetan cultures, Pureval’s upbringing reflects diverse influences — likely blending elements of Sikh or Hindu traditions from his father’s side and Tibetan Buddhist heritage from his mother’s.
(With inputs from agency)