近年来，卡玛拉·哈里斯和佐兰·马姆达尼作为杰出的印度裔美国政治人物备受关注。但一系列关键的印裔美国领导人在美国政坛留下了他们的印记。以下是其中几位：妮基·黑利州：南卡罗来纳州党派：共和党黑利出生于南卡罗来纳州的一个来自阿姆利则的旁遮普家庭，她的选举政治生涯长达14年。在共和党内步步高升后，黑利于2004年当选南卡罗来纳州众议员，成为该州首位担任政治职务的印度裔美国人。
In recent years, Kamala Harris and Zohran Mamdani have attracted attention as prominent US politicians of Indian origin. But a string of crucial India-American leaders have left their mark in US politics. Here’re some of them:Nikki HaleyState: South CarolinaParty: RepublicanBorn in South Carolina to a Punjabi family from Amritsar, Haley enjoyed a 14-year long career in electoral politics. Rising through the ranks of the Republican party, Haley was elected to South Carolina’s House of Representatives in 2004, becoming the first Indian-American in political office there.
2010年，她成功竞选南卡罗来纳州州长，并于2014年以近56%的得票率连任。在赢得2016年总统大选后，唐纳德·特朗普提名黑利为美国常驻联合国代表。她于2018年10月辞职，并在2024年参加了共和党总统初选，但未能成功。鲍比·金达尔州：路易斯安那州党派：共和党金达尔出生于巴吞鲁日的一个旁遮普家庭，他于1996年在时任州长迈克·福斯特手作家乡的卫生部门工作，从而开启了从政生涯。
In 2010, she successfully ran for Governor of South Carolina and was re-elected in 2014 with nearly 56% of the vote. After winning the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump nominated Haley as the US ambassador to the United Nations. She resigned in October 2018 and unsuccessfully ran in the Republican presidential primary in 2024. Bobby JindalState: LouisianaParty: RepublicanBorn in Baton Rouge to a Punjabi family, Jindal got his political start in 1996 by working in his home state’s health department under then governor Mike Foster.
从2001年到2003年，作为布什政府的一部分，他在国家卫生部门任职，随后辞职竞选路易斯安那州州长。尽管他在共和党初选中失利，但在2004年的众议员选举中获胜，并在2006年保住了议席。一年后，他以54%的得票率赢得路易斯安那州州长选举，成为历史上首位印度裔美国人州长。他在2011年再次当选。四年后，金达尔参加了总统竞选，但在共和党初选投票开始前就暂停了竞选活动。
From 2001 to 2003, he served in the national health department as part of the Bush administration before stepping down to run for Louisiana Governor. Although he lost the Republican primary, he won his next electoral bid to the House of Representatives in 2004 and retained his seat in 2006. A year later, he won the Louisiana gubernatorial election with 54% of the vote, becoming the first ever Indian-American Governor. He was re-elected in 2011. Jindal ran for President four years later, but suspended his campaign even before voting began in the Republican primary.
达利普·辛格·桑德州：加利福尼亚州党派：民主党桑德来自阿姆利则附近的一个村庄，于1920年移民加利福尼亚州伯克利攻读研究生，后来开始从事农业。1942年，桑德创立了一个说客集团，旨在为印度人争取美国归化入籍权利。
Dalip Singh SaundState: CaliforniaParty: DemocraticHailing from a village near Amritsar, Saund immigrated to Berkeley, California in 1920 for post-graduate studies and later began working as a farmer. In 1942, Saund founded a lobbyist group aimed at securing US naturalisation rights for Indians.
在第二次世界大战后美国立法发生变化之后，他在1949年成为美国公民，并立即作为一名工作人员积极参与当地政治。他在1956年赢得了他的第一场选举胜利，赢得了加利福尼亚州东南部一个传统上属于共和党选区的众议院席位。桑德在1958年和1960年两次成功连任，但在1962年的选举中输给了共和党候选人，当时他中风并在整个竞选期间住院。
He became a US citizen in 1949 after changes in US legislation after World War 2, and became immediately active in local politics as a staffer. His first electoral victory took place in 1956 as he won a House seat in a traditionally Republican district in southeastern California. Saund was re-elected twice in 1958 and 1960 but lost the 1962 election to the Republican as he suffered a stroke and remained in hospital during the entire campaign period.
桑德的政治生涯因健康问题而结束，他于1973年因第二次中风去世。尽管桑德是第一位担任公职的印度裔美国人，但直到40多年后才出现了第二位鲍比·金达尔。拉贾·克里希纳莫蒂州：伊利诺伊州党派：民主党克里希纳莫蒂出生于新德里的一个泰米尔人家庭，在仅三个月大时随父母移民美国——最初来到纽约州布法罗，后来搬到伊利诺伊州皮奥里亚，他的父亲在那里成为了一名大学教授。
Saund’s political career ended due to his health issues and he died in 1973 of a second stroke. Although Saund was the first Indian-American to hold political office, it would take over 40 years for the second in Bobby Jindal. Raja KrishnamoorthiState: IllinoisParty: DemocraticBorn to Tamil parents in New Delhi, Krishnamoorthi immigrated to the US at just three months old—first to Buffalo, New York, and later to Peoria, Illinois, where his father became a college professor.
在就读法学院后，克里希纳莫蒂曾为伊利诺伊州的一名地区法官工作，后来在20世纪20年代（注：原文如此）成为贝拉克·奥巴马众议院和参议院竞选团队的工作人员。克里希纳莫蒂在2010年和2012年的前两次地方选举竞选中均在民主党初选阶段失利，但他赢得了2016年伊利诺伊州第八选区的众议院竞选——该选区涵盖了芝加哥的一些西北郊区。
After attending law school, Krishnamoorthi worked for a district judge in Illinois and later became a staffer for Barack Obama’s House and Senate campaigns in the 2000s. Krishnamoorthi’s first two local election campaigns in 2010 and 2012 ended in defeat at the Democratic primary stage, but he won his 2016 House race in Illinois’ 8th district—which covers some of Chicago’s northwestern suburbs.
作为一名温和派民主党人执政，克里希纳莫蒂随后四次连任，但由于他今年的参议院竞选在初选阶段失利，他将于1月卸任该席位。施里·塔内达尔州：密歇根州党派：民主党塔内达尔出生于卡纳塔克邦奇科迪的一个马拉地人家庭，于1979年移居俄亥俄州攻读博士学位，并于1988年获得美国公民身份。在接下来的三十家里，塔内达尔作为一名专注于化学和制药公司收并购的企业家赚取了数百万美元。他于2017年首次涉足政治，自筹资金参加2018年选举的州长竞选。
Governing as a moderate Democrat, Krishnamoorthi was re-elected four times but will vacate this seat in January, after his Senate campaign this year ended in defeat at the primary stage. Shri ThanedarState: MichiganParty: DemocraticBorn in Chikkodi, Karnataka to a Marathi family, Thanedar relocated to Ohio in 1979 to pursue a PhD and gained his US citizenship in 1988. Over the next three decades, Thanedar made millions as an entrepreneur specialising in sales and acquisitions of chemical and pharmaceutical companies. His first foray into politics took place in 2017, self-funding a gubernatorial campaign for the 2018 election.
当他以进步派民主党人身份参选时，媒体报道揭露了他过去商业行为的争议，这损害了他的声望，并导致他在初选中惨败。随后，Thanedar 在 2020 年竞选密歇根州众议员、2022 年和 2024 年竞选美国联邦众议员均取得成功。然而，今年早些时候，他在民主党初选中败给了挑战者 Donovan McKinney，后者获得了更多知名党内人士的背书。
While he ran as a progressive Democrat, media reporting unearthed controversies over his past business practices which hurt his popularity and led to a heavy defeat in the primary. Thanedar’s subsequent campaigns—for seats in the Michigan state House in 2020 and the US House of Representatives in 2022 and 2024—proved to be successful. Earlier this year, however, he lost his House seat to Democratic primary challenger Donovan McKinney, who had collected more high-profile party endorsements.
Thanedar 将于 1 月正式卸任。Ghazala Hashmi州别：弗吉尼亚州党派：民主党Hashmi 原籍海得拉巴，四岁时随家人移民美国，与在佐治亚州大学任教的父亲团聚。Hashmi 在佐治亚州完成学业，后来在弗吉尼亚州的高校任教。作为对唐纳德·特朗普总统任期的回应，Hashmi 于 2019 年、55 岁时转向从政，成为首位当选弗吉尼亚州参议员的穆斯林。
Thanedar will officially vacate his seat in January. Ghazala HashmiState: VirginiaParty: DemocraticOriginally from Hyderabad, Hashmi and her family immigrated to the US when she was four to join her father who was teaching at university in Georgia. Hashmi completed her education in Georgia and later taught at colleges in Virginia. As a response to Donald Trump’s presidency, Hashmi pivoted to politics at the age of 55 in 2019 by becoming the first Muslim to be elected to the Virginia state Senate.
她在 2023 年成功连任，并于 2025 年将目标瞄准该州副州长一职，以超过 55% 的得票率击败共和党挑战者 John Reid。她将在 2029 年面临连任竞选。Aftab Pureval州别：俄亥俄州党派：民主党Pureval 出生于俄亥俄州，父亲是旁遮普人，母亲是藏人。他最初从事司法工作，在汉密尔顿县担任法院书记官达五年。
She retained her seat in 2023 and set her sights on the state’s Lieutenant Governor in 2025, beating out Republican challenger John Reid with over 55% of the vote. She will be up for re-election in 2029. Aftab PurevalState: OhioParty: DemocraticBorn in Ohio to a Punjabi father and Tibetan mother, Pureval initially pursued a career in the judiciary, serving as a clerk officer of the court in Hamilton County for five years.
2018 年，Pureval 竞选俄亥俄州第 1 国会选区联邦众议员，败给了共和党现任议员 Steve Chabot。2021 年，他凭借在当地法院积累的声誉，发起了辛辛那提市长竞选。作为进步派民主党人参选，他在初选和大选中均以巨大优势战胜了同党对手 David Mann。
In 2018, Pureval ran for the US House in Ohio’s 1st district but lost to the Republican incumbent Steve Chabot. In 2021, he embarked on a mayoral campaign for the city of Cincinnati, relying on his local court reputation. Running as a progressive Democrat, he was a distant victor in both the primary and general elections against fellow Democrat David Mann.
作为该市首位亚裔市长，Pureval 在 2025 年大选时的声望进一步上升，他以超过 78% 的得票率击败了共和党对手。Danny Avula州：弗吉尼亚州党派：民主党Avula 原籍海得拉巴，还是婴儿时随家人搬到弗吉尼亚州，其父选择加入美国海军。Avula 就读医学院，并在弗吉尼亚州首府里士满担任儿科医生，因在疫情期间领导疫苗接种运动而赢得公众赞誉。
As the city’s first mayor of Asian origin, Pureval’s popularity grew further by the time of the 2025 election, as he defeated his Republican opponent with over 78% of the vote. Danny AvulaState: VirginiaParty: DemocraticOriginally from Hyderabad, Avula was still a baby when his family moved to Virginia, where his father opted to join the US Navy. Avula attended medical school and worked as a pediatrician in Virginia’s capital city Richmond, where he attracted public acclaim for leading vaccination campaigns during the pandemic.
2024 年，他转向从政，在一场不分党派的公开市长选举中以超过 45% 的得票率当选里士满市长。作为一名缺乏高调党派背书的相对局外人，Avula 是里士满历史上首位移民市长，将于 2028 年寻求连任。
In 2024, he shifted to active politics and won the mayoral election in Richmond with over 45% of the vote in an open nonpartisan race. A relative outsider without high-profile party endorsements, Avula is Richmond’s first ever immigrant mayor and will be up for re-election in 2028.