Maryland: Indian-American Democratic legislator fails to enter US House of Representatives

An Indian-American Democratic legislator in Maryland has suffered a humiliating defeat in the party's primary election for a seat in the US House of Representatives.

Kumar Barve, 57, who was the House Majority Leader from 2003-2014 and now Chairman of Maryland House Environment and Transportation Committee, received just 2% of the total votes polled in a nine-person Democratic primary race for a seat in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday night.

The primary election was won by Jamie Raskin who received 33% of the votes. He was followed by David Trone with 28% of the votes. In 1990, Barve made history at the age of 32, when he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates and became the first Indian-American ever to serve in a state legislator.

If elected, he would have been the fourth Indian-American to be elected to the US House of Representatives. Ami Bera from California is the only Indian-American in the current Congress.