Ranjeev Puri, a 42-year-old Indian-origin lawmaker, is seeking to make history in Michigan politics, with an eye on becoming the first Indian-American Speaker of the state House of Representatives.Born to Punjabi immigrants, Puri became the first Sikh American to be elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2020. He is now serving his third term in the state legislature and was appointed Democratic Party leader in the House in 2025.Puri has worked on President Barack Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012.He later earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and returned to Michigan, where he worked in the automotive industry.His rise in the legislature has coincided with a period of divided political control in Michigan. Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer heads the state government, while Republicans control the 110-member House, with Matt Hall serving as Speaker.Democrats are seeking to regain control of the House in the November 3 elections. If they succeed, Puri could be in contention for the Speaker’s post.”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,” said Haley Stevens, the US Congresswoman from the state, while campaigning for the elections.Stevens is set to retire from the US Congress this year after an unsuccessful bid to win the Democratic nomination for US Senate elections.In the November 3 elections, Puri is pitted against Allison Kay Fuller of the Republican party.Michigan has a sizeable Indian-origin community. According to the Indian American Voter Atlas, developed by Republican strategist Anang Mittal, the state is home to 1.27 lakh people of Indian-origin, accounting for 1.27 per cent of its population.