US Midterms 2026: Pooja Sethi defeats bigotry, makes history as first Hindu, Indian-American woman elected to Texas Legislature

Democratic candidate Pooja Sethi has won her race for Texas House District 47, making history as the first Indian-American woman and the first Asian American Democratic woman elected to the Texas Legislature. She defeated Republican Jennifer Mushtaler in the open seat.

"Thank you, HD 47! Together, we made history! I am honoured to become the first Indian American woman and the first Asian American Democratic woman elected to the Texas Legislature," Sethi wrote on X. "But making history is an honour. Making a difference is the responsibility."

Who is Pooja Sethi?

Sethi has been serving as the chief of staff to Texas State Representative Vikki Goodwin and chair of the Travis County Democratic Party, with nearly four years of legislative experience. Before her Capitol role, she worked as an immigration attorney with Catholic Charities, representing families navigating the immigration system.

In the Legislature, she has helped pass laws on preventing child drownings, protecting domestic violence survivors and expanding affordable housing. Her priorities include strengthening democracy, fully funding public education and enacting common sense gun reform.

Sethi on why she's running for Congress

Sethi's campaign was deeply personal. "I'm running for Texas House District 47 because I'm a mom — and I cannot keep raising my child in a state that turns its back on kids," she said. She described standing beside a father who lost his child in the Uvalde shooting and watching lawmakers refuse to act on gun safety and public school funding.

One of the key reforms she's backing includes raising the minimum age to purchase certain high-powered firearms from 18 to 21. The reform, as per the PoojaforTexas website, aims to reduce gun violence and keep communities safe.

A race marked by controversy and anti-Indian hate speech

Her final push was framed around a dispute over bigoted remarks. On the eve of the election, Sethi challenged Republican US Senate nominee Ken Paxton to condemn comments by his party colleague Bo French targeting Indian Americans, accusing Paxton of seeking community support while staying silent.

The controversy began September 13, when French, the Republican nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, posted an image of the University of Texas students, many of South Asian origin, with a comment that drew widespread criticism. Calling the students a "problem", he wrote, "Like body-cams exposed criminals, social media is exposing how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners." The post accumulated more than 54 million views on X.

Paxton responded without naming French, condemning racism "in all its forms" while attacking his Democratic opponent, James Talarico. Sethi had also faced the issue head-on in her closing message: “Hate has no home in Texas.”