By Margaret Barthel
Virginia State Sen. Suhas Subramanyam carried the 10th Congressional District, an open seat centered in Loudoun County, by about 5% of the vote, defeating Republican tech executive and conservative commentator Mike Clancy, according to unofficial results.
Subramanyam will make history as Virginia’s first Indian-American congressman, elected to represent a rapidly-developing district in the D.C. exurbs that includes all of Loudoun and Fauquier counties and parts of Rappahanock, Prince William, and Fairfax counties.
On the campaign trail, Subramanyam often talked about his family’s history, beginning when his parents immigrated to the United States, first landing at Dulles Airport — which is in the district he will now represent in Congress. (Subramanyam grew up in Houston, Texas.)
“They came here to build a life and live the American dream. And through all the trials and tribulations, through the homesickness and the cultural barriers and the food that wasn’t spicy enough, they made a life here. And it was because they were welcomed here,” he said, to cheers from his supporters at his campaign watch party.
Subramanyam was introduced by Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton, the sitting member of Congress who is resigning after a diagnosis of supranuclear palsy, a progressive neurological disease. Wexton, who endorsed Subramanyam in a tough primary, said she trusted him to carry on her legacy — and she thanked the 10th District Democrats who helped her flip the seat blue in 2018.
“I just want to say thank you to all of you here, to the many, many Virginians who supported my campaigns and the people of VA-10 for the trust you placed in me as your representative in Congress for the past six years,” Wexton said through an AI program that models her voice. “There’s no one I trust more to serve this district, to carry on my legacy and build on the progress we’ve made than Suhas Subrahmanyam.”
To read the entire article: https://www.vpm.org/elections/2024-11-19/suhas-subramanyam-virginia-congress-south-asian-indian-american