TEXAS & ARKANSAS (TIP): Indian Americans Sri Kulkarni and Chintan Desai have won Democratic party primaries held on May 22^ndin Texas and Arkansas respectively.

Sri Preston Kulkarni, a former US diplomat, won the Democratic primary runoff for Texas’ 22nd Congressional District defeating Letitia Plummer, his only rival.

In Arkansas, Chintan Desai, a school teacher, won the state’s first congressional district unopposed.

In the 22^nd dirstrict runoff on May 22^nd, Kulkarni received 62.1 percent of the total votes polled, while Plummer got 37.88 percent votes.

The runoff was required after no candidate was able to secure the 50 percent threshold in the primary held in March.

Kulkarni and Plummer finished first and second in the primary with 31.81 percent and 24.30 percent votes respectively, resulting in a run-off to decide the Democratic nominee for the November election.

Now Kulkarni will face Republican incumbent Pete Olson in November.

Earlier, 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,” Kulkarni.

“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 thanked his volunteers for the unflinching support they provided, adding that” I am beyond thankful to be in this fight with you. I look forward to working with y’all to make sure our communities and our families get the representation they deserve in Congress.”

Kulkarni, a former US diplomat, quit his State Department job to run for Congress.

“According to media reports, Texas 22^nd is a Republican leaning district. Olson, a four-term incumbent, has a 10-point advantage in the district. However, Democrats see the district as a pick-up opportunity.

Arkansas 1^st is a heavily Republican seat, which was carried by Trump by 35 points in the last presidential election. Desai’s November opponent, Rep. Rick Crawford has been representing the district since 2011.