I would be more effective than Mike Honda in Congress: Ro Khanna
By Sereen Thahir
WASHINGTON, DC: Ro Khanna, an Indian-American Democratic candidate, is running for Congress in California’s 17th Congressional District, which covers much of Silicon Valley. He is up against seven-term veteran Democrat Mike Honda, who has the support of many political leaders in Washington and California.
The nature of the Californian system is that the top two vote getters in the primary run for the actual office, regardless of party, so it is very likely that the ticket will feature two Democrats. The heavily Democratic district has a very large Asian-American population as well is home to many technology companies.
Khanna graduated from the University of Chicago and went to law school at Yale University. He served as the deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for two years before moving back to California in 2011 and working for law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Silicon Valley. His campaign for office in 2014 has gained significant traction as he raised over $1 million from individuals—he has pledged to not accept money from PACs, special interest groups, or lobbyists, which is unique in today’s electoral politics.
These individuals include many prominent CEO’s, COO’s, and chairmen from several top Silicon Valley companies, including Facebook and Yahoo! as well as a number of venture capitalists. He has former Obama campaign field director Jeremy Bird and other members of his team of advisors, which will make this an electoral campaign to watch on a national scale in the next year.
Excerpts of an interview The American Bazaar conducted with Khanna:
You started by working in Barack Obama’s senate campaign. What inspired you to get involved in public service? Specifically, what motivated you to work on campaigns?
Well, my grandfather spent four years in jail with Gandhi during the independence movement and always talked about the importance of human rights. I would always write letters to the editor, talk at the dinner table about the importance of public service with my family so I’ve always had an interest. When I was at the University of Chicago, a friend of mine was working on the Obama campaign and invited me to work as well so that’s how I got involved.
What made you decide to move from the Department of Commerce in Washington, DC back to California to work in the private sector?
It was a great experience there. I thought I had made the impact that I wanted by implementing the President’s plan of the National Import Initiative by working to bring manufacturing back to the country. I worked on bringing grants to the NUMMI workers that were laid off. [New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc, located in Fremont, CA, was an automobile manufacturing plant that closed in 2009]. I also just missed California and had written a book that I wanted to publish.
Trust in Congress is pretty low among the general public right now and it seems impossible, from an outsider’s perspective, to get things done there. Why run for Congress now? Do you think, if elected, that you’ll be able to affect change?
Frankly, that’s why I want to run. Congress is broken. There are not enough people willing to work across the aisle and [there are people] susceptible to special interest groups. I’m running to change that and I’m against accepting PAC and special interest money. I’m also willing to reach out across the aisle too. Coming from Silicon Valley, I think I have what it takes to impact Congress.
You’ve listed your views on a variety of issues on your website. What is one issue that you could pinpoint that is especially important in your district?
The economy. We need to help small business owners with paperwork and regulation—we need to streamline that. Provide them with the access to capital so they can compete. We need to be helping entrepreneurs and helping women entrepreneurs especially. We have to address the skills gap right now—we have 40,000 computer specialists and programmers and we need 100,000. We need to prepare people for the jobs that we have.
What’s your view on immigration reform? Do you support comprehensive immigration reform in one bill or do you believe that there are separate components that should be addressed individually?
Comprehensive plan, for sure. I support the current Senate bill on the floor right now, but I am concerned about a few things. One, there’s a lack of family reunification mentioned. The Senate removed the part where siblings could sponsor siblings for visas, which is an important way people come here. There is also nothing regarding sponsoring visas for same-sex couples. I also think that the money spent on the fence is too much and unnecessary. That being said, I would still vote for the bill because I believe it’s headed in the right direction. I’m a strong advocate for it.
Given the rising importance of tech hubs abroad in India and China, how can you make sure that the Silicon Valley stays at the forefront of technology?
We need to ensure economic growth with the right kind of policies, such as reforming the outdated tax code that was written in the 1960’s, so that investing is happening here instead of overseas. Additionally, we need to work on education at a community college level, teaching people how to program, robotics, computer science, and engineering. We need to be more creative and innovative. We also need to work on government-private sector partnerships in advancing cutting edge knowledge.
California’s 17th District is pretty overwhelmingly Democratic, even though the country as a whole is not. You mentioned you’d make the effort to reach across the aisle– given that there will be a different climate in Washington, DC, do you think you can manage to work with Republicans and Democrats there?
Well I’m proud of the support here, but we’ve been getting support not just from Democrats but support that is bipartisan and independent focusing on getting special interests out of DC. Things like reforming the tax code here, education, teaching coding in classrooms, supporting women entrepreneurs—these are pragmatic, non-ideological issues. We need pragmatic thinkers in Washington, DC to get things done.
You’re running against Mike Honda, a seven-term veteran in Congress. What does it mean to you to run against him and what sets you apart from his policies?
I have respect for his many years in Congress. However, I feel that I would be more effective in Congress. I’m willing to reach across the aisle and which will get policies passed. We need politicians to be more bipartisan and not beholden to special interests because I’m not taking money from PACs that Mike Honda and others are. It’s a new approach and I think that’s what sets me apart.
What gives you an advantage over Mike Honda and how do you plan to show this to your constituents?
My pledge to not accept money from PACs or lobbyists, which is on our website. I have novel innovative solutions and ideas that haven’t yet been proposed. There’s been a lack of thought leadership here and I think that’s what’s attracting our support.
You’ve been in the news for the amount of money your campaign has been able to raise as well as your various endorsements more than a year out from the election. What does this mean to you and what message do you think it sends to your constituents?
I think it says that my message of an open government is resonating here in the 21st century. I’m extremely proud of the endorsements of most of the technology leaders. These leaders are job creators and supporters of mine—it leads to a better vision for jobs for the middle class in the area. We’ve also received support from educators and working class families, so it’s across our entire district.
Do you worry such endorsements from companies may alienate some constituents?
We haven’t received any endorsements from companies, actually, just individuals. Companies are supporting Honda, there are individuals that are supporting me. We’ve received support from working families, educators, Asian-Americans, artists in some cases—we have a very broad base of support. My opponent has the support of corporate PACs and other PACs and lobbyists. The distinction is very clear.
Lastly, as an Indian-American, what would you say to young Indian-American people who are interested in public service?
I would say that what they do is important to our country. I hope that they give back, be politically engaged and at the very least register to vote. I’d tell them to get involved in committees, city councils, serve in the federal government—it’s still a great calling. One of the things I’m most proud of is having 45 young people fellowed in this campaign. It’s one of my biggest hopes for this campaign—get young people interested in the government.
To contact the author, email to editor@americanbazaaronline.com