Ro Khanna Leads in Fundraising Among Indian-American Congressional Candidates

Washington, November 12 (Daily Kiran) : Congressman Ro Khanna has emerged as a frontrunner in fundraising among Indian-American candidates, currently holding a remarkable $16.6 million in cash for his campaign. This figure, revealed through a review of Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, is the highest among eight Indian-American members of the House of Representatives and newly elected officials.

Khanna, a Democrat from California, reported that his campaign has no outstanding debts. In contrast, the combined cash reserves of the other seven Indian-American representatives amount to approximately $11.1 million.

As of October 14, Khanna’s campaign reported raising $15.3 million while spending $9.5 million. Notably, his cash balance exceeds his total contributions during this election cycle.

Among his peers, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal from Washington reported $1.75 million in cash, while California’s Ami Bera has $1.65 million. In Virginia, Suhas Subramanyam disclosed a cash balance of around $746,000. Both Jayapal and Subramanyam have no debts, while Bera has a $80,000 liability.

During this election cycle, Jayapal’s campaign raised $2.9 million and spent $3.2 million, whereas Bera reported $1.5 million in contributions and $1.7 million in expenses. Subramanyam raised $1.7 million and spent about $1.1 million.

Newly elected Indian-American candidates had relatively low cash reserves before their victories. Amish Shah, who defeated Republican candidate Jay Feeley in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, reported $570,000 in contributions and $550,000 in expenses by October 14, leaving him with approximately $206,000 and a debt of around $37,000.

Piya Dandia, who won against Republican Casey Askar in Florida’s 22nd District, raised $460,000 and spent $390,000, ending with about $735,000 in cash and a debt of $247,000. Interestingly, Askar’s total contributions exceeded Dandia’s, totaling $740,000, which included $669,000 of personal loans. His campaign spent $550,000, leaving him with $190,000 in cash but still owing $629,000 after debt repayments.

Feeley reported $380,000 in contributions and $360,000 in expenses, leaving him with $183,000 in cash and a debt of $330,000.

Among the reviewed Indian-American lawmakers, Thaneedar had $590,000 in cash by September 30, the second-largest amount. However, his campaign also carried a debt of $1.44 million, significantly exceeding his cash reserves. During the election cycle, his campaign raised $320,000 and spent $420,000.

Raja Krishnamoorthi’s House campaign account showed approximately $47,000, while his Senate campaign account held around $33,000. His House campaign reported $3.9 million in contributions and $21 million in expenses, while the Senate account recorded $31.6 million in contributions and $31.5 million in spending. It is essential to consider transfers from other authorized committees, totaling $19.4 million, when comparing fundraising efforts, as combining contributions from different campaign accounts can lead to double counting.

Tensions continue as these candidates prepare for the upcoming elections, with fundraising efforts playing a crucial role in their campaigns.