Indian American Maryland state legislature member Aruna Miller has raised over USD 850,000 for her Congressional election bid later this year.
This is more than double her nearest competitor in funds raised, latest quarterly fundraising figures show.
Miller, 53, is seeking to enter the US House of Representatives from Maryland's 6th Congressional District.
As the top fundraiser for the third consecutive quarter, the Miller campaign reported raising USD 301,628 in the fourth quarter of 2017, bringing her total raised for the year up to USD 862,713.
"I'm running for Congress because I believe that now, more than ever, our country needs Representatives that will actually represent them. My number one priority as a state legislator is bringing citizens into the process of governing. I believe that to make a change we need to get more people involved, and it's heartening to see that our message is resonating," Miller said in a statement.
Figures show that, to date, over 1,400 individual contributors gave a total of 1,723 distinct contributions to the campaign, with 98 per cent of the contributions coming from individuals.
Miller began her career as a civil engineer, working for 25 years for Montgomery County.
In 2010, she was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates where she represents the 15th District and serves on the Appropriations Committee.
The current Democratic incumbent to this Congressional District John Delaney has said that he will not seek re- election and instead has announced to run for 2020 Democratic party's presidential primary.
The primary election for Maryland's 6th Congressional District is scheduled for June 26.
In addition to Miller, four others including an Afghan- American Nadia Hashimi have declared themselves in the race.
Miller, who came to the US from India at the age of seven along with her parents, says her political interest was sparked by the Bush vs Gore election in 2000, where the fate of the country was not determined by the voters but rather by the Supreme Court.
"It was then I realised democracy needed me. Not as a bystander or to cast a vote when there's an election I needed to engage and empower others every day. I started to volunteer locally which brought me face to face with the needs and problems of others in the community," she said.
The current House of Representatives has one Indian American woman - Pramila Jayapal from Washington state - who was elected for the first time in the 2016 general election.
Senator Kamala Harris, who is of mixed Indian and African parental heritage is also the first Indian American Senator. She was elected in 2016.
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