Indian-American Sri Preston Kulkarni has won the Democratic primary for the 22nd congressional district of Texas.
Sri Preston Kulkarni, 39, a former US diplomat, won the Democratic primary runoff for Texas by defeating his only rival Letitia Plummer on Tuesday.
Mr Kulkarni has won with majority of 9,466 votes (appoximately32 per cent) while his competitor Democrat Letitia Plummer has won 7,230 votes (around 24.3 per cent). He is now set to compete with Republican incumbent Pete Olson in November.
Earlier, Mr Olson had won the Republican primary in March defeating three candidates.
“On May 22nd, we made history in District 22. Our movement, uniting diverse communities through shared values, took us across the finish line and helped me become your Democratic nominee for US Congress,” Mr Kulkarni said, thanking his voters after the poll results late last night.
If elected, Sri Preston Kulkarni will be representing District 22 which makes up an ethnically diverse community, a mosaic of many cultures from all over the world.
The runoff was required after no candidate was able to secure the 50 per cent threshold in the primary held in March.
Mr Kulkarni thanked his volunteers for their unflinching support.
“None of this would have been possible without our hundreds of volunteers, from middle-schoolers to senior citizens, and, of course, the thousands of voters who participated in this election,” he said.
“I am beyond thankful to be in this fight with you. I look forward to working with you all to make sure our communities and our families get the representation they deserve in Congress,” he said.
Mr Kulkarni quit his State Department job to run for the Congress.
“We can’t actually do our job and we can’t represent America when the government is not representing America. If this is what America represents, then I need to change that,” he said.
“As we look ahead, let us remember what is at stake this fall. We are fighting for the students who fear gun terror in their schools; we are fighting for immigrant families who are seeking the American Dream; we are fighting for the teachers and everyday heroes struggling to support their families. Tonight we celebrate, but tomorrow we strive forward to bring decency back to our country,” he said.
By Lokesh
