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Three Indian American Democrats, incumbent Delegate and Majority Leader Kumar Barve and two newcomers that he endorsed, Sam Arora and Aruna Miller, swept to surprisingly easy victories in Maryland House of Delegates races Nov. 2.
Barve's reelection had never been much in doubt, as he is a popular legislator in a district in Montgomery County with a huge edge for the Democrats in voter registration. He has also gained favor with voters for his work on transportation and environmental concerns.
Barve led the voting in District 17 with 18,604 votes (22.85%), with fellow incumbent Democrats James Gilchrist (18,521 votes) and Luiz Simmons (18,364 votes) also being reelected to the three seats contested. Three Republican candidates polled between 7,967 and 9,722 votes.
Barve, first elected to the House of Delegates in 1990, is currently the longest-tenured Indian American state elected official.
Arora, a former staffer in the offices of Senator Carl Levin of Michigan and former Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, had received a glowing endorsement from the Washington Post, but his newcomer status made his election less certain, despite the fact that the 9th District in Montgomery County also has a Democratic voter registration edge.