Donald Trump may be losing sleep over the apparent and impending influx of illegal immigrants set to cast their vote against him (he’s got no evidence to back that claim, of course), but there’s little he can do about the legal settlers who’re set to leave their mark on the upcoming elections. Indian-Americans, in particular are involved in much larger numbers than ever before in important roles in what is being seen as one of America’s most significant presidential elections ever. Both the Democratic and Republican conventions in July saw many Indian American faces as delegates and in other important positions.Away from the Presidential free-for-all, however, come November and many Indian Americans including Kamala Harris Ro Khanna and Raja Krishnamoorthi will be running high profile races themselves for different political and public offices. "We definitely see a growing and larger discourse as well as engagement of Indian Americans running for office or just their pure involvement in the process. This is happening at the federal, state and local level cutting across regions and party lines," says Sanjay Puri, chairman of the United States India Political Action Committee, which represents the Indian-American community.Washington state senator Pramila Jayapal is an example. A candidate for the US Congress, she has already won her nine-way primary with 42% votes. If elected, she would be the first Indian-American woman to serve in US Congress. "In this campaign and my last one, I see more and more participation from young Indian Americans who are increasingly embracing the need to be engaged not only in social issues but in political issues. They are excited about the rights and the responsibilities that come with citizenship and voting," says Jayapal who was born in Chennai and moved to the US when she was just 16. For over two decades, she has led movements for immigrants and is the founder of One America, Washington state’s largest immigrant rights organisation.Jayapal, who has been recognised as a White House Champion for Change, is highlighting issues such as how to make government work for regular people, expand the middle class and help those working their way into it. She plans to continue her work as a champion for federal immigration reform, for reproductive rights and for racial justice. "I was proud to be recognised as a champion of change by the White House and I intend to continue to be that bridge between government and the community in elected office, just as I have in the state Senate," she told ET Magazine.On the other side is Abhay Patel, a business professional, who is running for the US Senate from Louisiana for the Republican Party. "I chose to run because I believe we need less career politicians in Washington and more professionals with backgrounds in business, finance and economic development. Our economy is growing at post-recession levels and only those elected leaders that truly understand the impact of draconian tax and regulatory policies can help unleash the innovative and industry expertise of the American people," says Patel, emphasising that he represents fresh energy and ideas and has spent his entire career advising CEOs and CFOs of companies.Through his campaign, Patel is reaching out to Indian-American voters in a state that has had Indian-American Bobby Jindal as governor between 2008 and 2016. "Indian immigrants are among some of the most successful individuals in the US. That’s because Indian values are American values — those of family, hard work, selfdetermination and upward mobility," he said.Like Jayapal, another Democratic candidate Raja Krishnamoorthi, son of immigrant parents, is no newbie in public and community. He is running for Congress from the state of Illinois on a platform that includes protecting social security and medicare, making higher education more affordable, and bolstering small businesses."Through my campaign, I’m focused on growing and strengthening the middle class of the country and working families by creating ladders of economic opportunities for people running small businesses," says Krishnamoorthi, who runs a business in Chicago and had earlier served as issues director for President Barack Obama’s successful 2004 campaign for the US Senate and various other public offices. He adds that Indian-Americans who are entrepreneurial and willing to take risks are drawn to his campaign in large numbers."While startups have the potential to become growth engines for the US economy, more and more young Indian-Americans are also becoming visible in public life in various appointed positions in the US government," says Krishnamoorthi adding that though not too many have yet been successful in elected positions, that is slowly changing. "This election will see more Indians-Americans running for office in various positions but I also hope to see many more members of the community actually going out to vote than ever before as a form of political expression and volunteering too," he adds.Kamala Devi Harris, attorney general of California, is undoubtedly the most highprofile Indian-American running for office in November. And with the strong possibility of her becoming the first Indian-American US Senator, there is a lot of excitement among the community around her high profile campaign. Two Democrats, Harris and Loretta Sanchez, defeated the other 32 candidates to advance to the general election. The primary took place on June 7, 2016. The general election will take place on November 8, 2016. "There is tremendous excitement about the potential of Harris winning a seat in the US senate, both as an individual who is qualified and capable as well as her becoming the first Indian-American in history to be a US senator," says Shefali Razdan Duggal, a Democratic Party leader who holds prominent roles in various important panels. Duggal finds an expansive and broad level of support for Harris, who has broken various glass ceilings throughout her career, among the South Asian community.After narrowly losing out the 2014 bid to represent California’s 17th district in the US House of Representatives, Indian-American professor Ro Khanna is once more in the race and recently announced the endorsement of his bid by former US President Jimmy Carter. An economics lecturer at Stanford University, Khanna has served as deputy assistant secretary at the US department of commerce in the Obama administration."He gracefully bridges his heritage, India, with his nation, America, in a way that we’ve only seen from the likes of Dalip Singh Saund, the first ever Asian-American in Congress. A lot of Indian Americans support Khanna because he’s smart and has the values we’d like to see in a future Congressman and not because he is of Indian origin," says Tarun Galagali, who is Khanna’s policy director.Indian-Americans resonate with Khanna on an emotional level, according to his policy director, is because he never forgets where he came from and in every speech spends at least a minute or two reflecting on how proud he is of his roots.