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Aruna Miller loses primary race and bid to become 2nd Indian-American woman in Congress

BY VEENA RAO

Atlanta, GA, June 27, 2018: In an election race keenly followed by the Indian-American community, Maryland state legislator Aruna Miller lost to multimillionaire David Trone in the Democratic primary for the vacant seat in the state’s 6th District.

The loss foiled her attempt to become only the second Indian-American to be elected to the US House of Representatives after Pramila Jayapal of Washington state.

“While we did not prevail, we did make a difference. We stood up to ensure a voice of diversity was part of the electoral process,” she said in a statement, after conceding victory to Trone.

“While tonight brings a close to the campaign sooner than we wanted, our work is far from over. I’m eager to work with the Democratic party to fight back against Donald Trump this November,” Miller added.

Trone, who reportedly spent over $10 million of his own money on his campaign, won a comfortable victory with 40.4 percent of votes over Miller who got 30.6 percent.

“Running for office can be intimidating, but it shouldn’t be.  Realize even if you don’t succeed, you have added your voice to the community,” Miller had said in an exclusive interview with NRI Pulse after her Atlanta visit earlier this year.

“My political interest was sparked by the Bush v Gore election in 2000, where the fate of our country was not determined by the voters but rather by the Supreme Court.  It was then I realized that Democracy needed me. Not as a bystander or to cast a vote when there’s an election — I needed to engage and empower others every day.  I started to volunteer locally which brought me face to face with the needs and problems of others in the community.”

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