WASHINGTON: Indian American voters moved back toward the Democratic Party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace survey found, a trend that fits the Democrats’ sweep of Congress on November 3.
The October 2026 Indian American Attitudes Survey, conducted with YouGov, polled 1,000 Indian American adults between October 7 and 27, with a margin of error of 3.87 percentage points. Among citizens, 62 percent said they would vote for the Democratic candidate in their congressional district, against 19 percent for the Republican. That is a 43-point Democratic advantage, wider than the 32-point lead Kamala Harris held in 2024. The survey measured voting intentions before the election, not actual votes.
The shift was sharpest among older men. Among men aged 40 and over, Republican support fell to 16 percent from 32 percent in January 2026. Among younger men, 64 percent favoured Democratic congressional candidates and 23 percent Republicans, reversing much of the Republican gain among that group in 2024.
Carnegie cautioned that the rebound is partial. Only 46 percent of respondents identify as Democrats, 19 percent as Republicans and 26 percent as independents, figures largely unchanged since January, and much of the Democratic vote is driven by opposition to Republicans.
On election night, Democrats won control of both the Senate and the House, according to projections by ABC News and other networks. AP tallies reported on November 4 showed Democrats with 54 Senate seats to Republicans’ 44, with two races still to be called. Outlook reported that Democrats flipped at least seven Republican-held Senate seats.
Indian American Democrats Ami Bera, Suhas Subramanyam, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal won re-election to the House, and Pia Dandiya won Florida’s 22nd District, according to PTI. Khanna won a sixth term in California’s 17th District, defeating Republican Ritesh Tandon, also Indian American, by more than 42,000 votes. Jayapal also defeated a Republican challenger of Indian origin, Nirav Sheth.