US midterm election results: Indian-origin US Congressman Ro Khanna wins California election, backs H-1B visa reform and immigrant rights

Indian-origin US Congressman Ro Khanna has won California’s 17th Congressional District, securing another term in the House of Representatives. The Democrat defeated Republican challenger Ritesh Tandon, with the Associated Press calling the race.

According to the latest results, Khanna received 61,366 votes, accounting for 72 per cent of the votes counted, while Tandon secured 23,853 votes, or 28 per cent. The results were based on 40 per cent of votes counted when the race was called.

Khanna, who represents the heart of Silicon Valley, is serving his fifth term in Congress. He is among the prominent progressive voices in the Democratic Party and has focused on technology, American manufacturing, workers’ rights and foreign policy.

Born in Philadelphia in 1976, Khanna comes from an Indian immigrant family. His parents moved to the US from India in the 1970s in search of better opportunities. His father is a chemical engineer, while his mother worked as a substitute school teacher.

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Before entering Congress, Khanna taught economics at Stanford University and served as deputy assistant secretary of commerce during the Barack Obama administration. He holds a degree in economics from the University of Chicago and a law degree from Yale University.

Where Khanna stands on immigration

Immigration reform is among the issues on which Khanna has taken a clear position. As the son of immigrants, he supports protecting immigrant rights and creating legal pathways for undocumented people.

He has advocated legal status for DREAMers, pathways to citizenship for undocumented adults, family reunification visas, guest worker programmes and asylum for refugees.

On H-1B visas, Khanna supports retaining opportunities for highly skilled foreign workers, while reforming the programme to prevent companies from underpaying overseas employees or replacing American workers with cheaper labour.

He has also called for addressing green card backlogs and supporting young immigrants who age out of dependent visa status.

Khanna has criticised immigration enforcement practices and called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while supporting secure borders and more humane enforcement standards.

Who is Ritesh Tandon?

Republican challenger Ritesh Tandon, who received 28 per cent of the votes counted, is also of Indian origin. He contested against the incumbent in California's 17th District but lost the race, which was called by the Associated Press.