Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Nov 5: Indian American council member Nithya Raman has widened her lead over incumbent Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral race, while physician Amish Shah has declared victory in a Republican-held congressional constituency in Arizona, as vote counting continued following the November 3 US elections.
Raman was leading Bass by 26,124 votes in the latest Los Angeles County results available on Wednesday, putting her ahead in the contest to lead America's second-largest city.
According to county figures updated on Wednesday afternoon, Raman secured 405,193 votes, accounting for 51.67 per cent, against Bass's 379,069 votes, or 48.33 per cent.
Raman moved ahead after Bass initially held a narrow lead on election night. Subsequent counting widened the challenger's advantage, although a substantial number of ballots were still outstanding. The Los Angeles Times reported Raman's lead, while local media outlets LAist and ABC7 also tracked the changing figures. ABC7, however, said the contest remained too close to call.
Meanwhile, Democrat and former Arizona state legislator Amish Shah declared victory over Republican Jay Feely in Arizona's 1st Congressional District, The Arizona Republic reported. Election tracker Decision Desk HQ separately projected Shah as the winner on Wednesday evening, according to Arizona broadcaster KTAR.
Shah told supporters that he had spoken with Feely and congratulated him on running a hard-fought campaign. However, The Arizona Republic report did not establish that Feely had formally conceded. The Republican had acknowledged on election night that the contest might not go in his favour.
According to KTAR, Shah was leading with 52.5 per cent of the votes against Feely's 45.4 per cent, a margin of 22,494 votes, on Wednesday evening.
The Arizona constituency includes Scottsdale and parts of the Phoenix area. The seat became open after Republican Representative David Schweikert vacated it to contest the gubernatorial election, giving Democrats an opportunity to gain a constituency previously held by the Republicans.
Feely, a former National Football League kicker and broadcaster, had the endorsement of US President Donald Trump. Shah is an emergency-room physician who previously served in the Arizona legislature.
The two contests offered Indian Americans an opportunity to increase their representation in American city administration and the US Congress. However, neither a candidate's victory declaration nor a media projection amounts to official certification of an election result.
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, in a statement issued on Wednesday before the reported projection, said Shah's victory would make him the first Indian American elected to represent Arizona's 1st Congressional District.
The caucus said his election would take its anticipated Asian American and Pacific Islander membership in the next Congress to 23, up from the minimum of 22 identified earlier.
It also welcomed Pia Dandiya's election in Florida's 22nd Congressional District, describing her as the first Indian American woman elected to represent that constituency.
The November 3 elections covered contests for the US Congress, state governments and local offices. Members of the US House of Representatives serve two-year terms, with the next Congress scheduled to begin in January 2027.