Haley takes slender lead; Trivedi leading; as Republicans trounce Democrats

Indian American, Nikki Haley of Republican Party took a slender lead, after trailing initially, over her Democratic rival Vincent Sheehan in the South Carolina gubernatorial elections yesterday after 69 per cent of votes were counted. Haley had received 50.6 per cent of the total votes counted, while Sheehan had received 47.9 per cent.

In Pennsylvania, another Indian American Manan Trivedi, a Iraq war veteran, was ahead of his Republican rival Jim Gerlach. While Trivedi had received 52.5 per cent of the total votes counted, Gerlach had received 47.5 per cent of the total counted votes.

If elected, Trivedi would be only be the third Indian American to enter the House of Representatives. All other major Indian American candidates running for the US House of Representatives were trailing when reports last came in.

A record number of six Indian Americans are in the fray. Five of them are Democrats - Trivedi, Ami Bera from California, Raj Goyle from Kansas, Ravi Sangisetty from Louisiana and Surya Yalamanchili from Ohio.

Ashvin Lad from Illinois is the only Republican Indian American in fray. Haley, born of Sikh parents who migrated from Punjab, would create history if she is elected as the Governor of South Carolina.

She would be the first woman to occupy the governor's mansion of South Carolina and only the second India American to be a Governor of a US State after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.

But if Haley is defeated, this would be a major upset result of this year's mid-term elections, given that her Republican colleagues are trouncing the Democratic Party nominee across the country and also that South Carolina has been a traditional Republican State.

In Kansas, Indian American Raj Goyle, appeared to be defeated by his Republican rival Mike Pompe. In the 4th House District of Kansas, Pompe received 57 per cent of the total votes counted when reports last came, while Goyle had got just 38 per cent of the total counted votes.