Ranjeev Puri eyes Michigan House Speaker post in a US first

Ranjeev Puri is seeking re-election as Democrats try to win the Michigan House. A victory could make him the first Indian-American State House Speaker in the US.Image used for representational purposes onlyWashington,Oct 13, 2026 08:54 ISTIndian-origin Michigan lawmaker Ranjeev Puri is seeking to become the Speaker of the state House after the November 3 elections, with Democrats hoping to take control of the chamber from the Republicans. If that happens, Puri could become the first Indian-American State House Speaker in the US.Puri, 42, is in the race for another term in the Michigan House of Representatives and is contesting against Republican candidate Allison Kay Fuller. Michigan has a Democratic Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, but the 110-member House is controlled by Republicans, with Matt Hall as Speaker.Puri became the first Sikh American elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2020, a first in the state's history. Born to Punjabi immigrants, he is currently serving his third term in the state House.In 2025, Puri was appointed leader of the Democratic Party in the Republican-controlled House. Democrats are now hoping to flip the House in the November 3 elections and clear the way for him to take over as Speaker. Campaigning for the elections, US Congresswoman Haley Stevens said, "Michigan Dems are on the move. We are about to flip the state house and make Ranjeev Puri THE FIRST Indian American State House Speaker in the country." Stevens is set to retire from the US Congress this year after an unsuccessful bid to win the Democratic nomination for the US Senate elections.Puri had earlier worked on Barack Obama's presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012. He later earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and returned to Michigan, where he worked in the automotive industry. According to the Indian American Voter Atlas, developed by Republican strategist Anang Mittal, Michigan is home to 1.27 lakh people of Indian origin, accounting for 1.27 per cent of the state's population. The November 3 election will decide whether Puri returns to the House and whether Democrats can put him in line to become Speaker.With PTI Inputs- Ends