US midterms 2026: Meet Suhas Subramanyam, Indian-origin Democrat who served as advisor to Barack Obama

Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia is among several Indian-origin candidates contesting the US midterm elections on November 3. The Democrat is seeking re-election from Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, where he faces Republican challenger Dave Beckwith, a 30-year veteran of the US Air Force.A lawyer by profession, Subramanyam served as a White House policy advisor during Barack Obama’s presidency.Family lifeBorn in Virginia in 1979, Subramanyam is the son of Indian immigrants. His mother, a Bengaluru native, moved to the US to join his father, who grew up in Chennai and Secunderabad, and to pursue higher education.Subramanyam is married to Miranda Pena Subramanyam, and the couple have two daughters. The family lives in Loudoun County, Virginia.Education and pre-political careerSubramanyam holds a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law. Thereafter, he worked as White House technology policy advisor under Obama.After his stint at the White House, Subramanyam launched a small business in Loudoun County and volunteered as an emergency medical technician (EMT) and firefighter.Political careerSubramanyam was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, where he served from 2019 to 2023, before joining the Virginia State Senate in 2023, serving until 2024. During his time in the state legislature, he passed legislation aimed at lowering tolls, utility bills and prescription drug costs. He also co-founded a caucus focused on bipartisanship and helped pass bipartisan bills on K-12 education, tax cuts and gun safety.Subramanyam was elected to represent Virginia’s 10th Congressional District in 2024, succeeding retiring Democratic incumbent Jennifer Wexton. He defeated Republican candidate Mike Clancy, securing 215,131 votes against Clancy’s 196,343.Political positionSubramanyam has accused US President Donald Trump’s Republican administration of driving up costs and undermining healthcare and the federal workforce.He has also continued to raise issues affecting Indian professionals, including lengthy green card backlogs and structural challenges with the H-1B visa programme.After US law enforcement foiled an alleged plot to vandalise a Hindu temple in Illinois earlier this month, Subramanyam called on lawmakers from both parties to condemn what he described as rising anti-Indian hostility, hate speech and discrimination.“Every American deserves to practice their faith without fear of violence. The details of the plot to carry out a shooting at a Hindu temple in Illinois are deeply concerning. I am grateful for the individuals who notified law enforcement, and everyone whose actions prevented this attack. But we need to act now and address the rise of hate in this country. I will continue fighting to ensure that every community can worship safely,” he said in a statement.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.