From town council, to vying for the US House of Representatives.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: A number of Indian Americans are running for elected office, from city council positions to seats in the US House of Representatives, in the nationwide elections Tuesday.
Two of the most prominent are: Democrat Rohit “Ro” Khanna, running for the California 17th District seat in the House of Representatives. Swati Dandekar, another Democrat, is running for the Iowa 1st District seat in the House of Representatives. If Dandekar wins, she will be the first-ever Indian American woman elected to the House of Representatives.
Dr. Sudhanshu Prasad is running to be the mayor of Edison, New Jersey. Prasad initially wanted to run Democrat but ended up filing as an Independent after the primary elections, when the Democratic Party endorsed Councilman Thomas Lankey as their candidate. There are at least two others running against Prasad, as well; another Indian America, Iner Soni, was running until early October, at which point he dropped out and endorses Prasad. He has been endorsed by the US-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC), and is running on the platform of creating more jobs, helping small business, and lowering municipal taxes.
Another mayoral candidate was Suja Lowenthal, who was running for Mayor of Long Beach, California, but she pulled out of the race last month so that she can run for State Assembly next year.
In Edison is Krupal Shukla, who was unanimously endorsed by Republicans as their candidate for one of the three vacant seats on the Edison Municipal Council. A successful small businessman, Shukla’s main goals are to improve infrastructure, cut unnecessary government spending, and create new jobs by encouraging small business.
Also in New Jersey, Upendra Chivukula is running for re-election to his seat as Democratic Assemblyman for the state’s 17th District in the State Assembly. The primary goals of his campaign are to fight for veterans, disabled persons and seniors to receive improved healthcare and other benefits, as well as economic stimulation and job creation.
Chivukula has been in politics for 15 years, since he was elected to the Franklin Township Council for the 5th Ward in 1998. Since then, he has been Deputy Mayor and Mayor of the Franklin Township. Last year, he campaigned to be the Representative for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives, but lost to Republican Leonard Lance. Having consistently won elections to his current office every two years since 2001, it’s almost certain Chivukula will emerge victorious again tomorrow.
Reshma Saujani is running for the office of Public Advocate of New York City. In 2010, she was the first Indian American woman to run for the US Congress, vying for New York’s 14th District, but lost. A Democrat, her platform consists of creating affordable housing within the city, raising education standards, and empowering women, a cause with which she has been involved throughout her career. She has been endorsed by Pastor Michael Walrond, a deputy of Rev. Al Sharpton, a former Democratic Presidential hopeful.
In Seattle, Kshama Sawant is running for a seat on the city council. Running as a Socialist Alternative, Sawant’s platform includes a “millionaire tax” – the funds from which would go primarily towards improving the city’s education and public transportation systems – but also increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour and establishing more rent-controlled buildings in order to make housing more affordable for citizens.
Although Sawant has trailed in the polls, it’s not by much. Sawant secured 35% of the vote in a three-way primary back in August. Her opponent, incumbent Richard Conlin secured 48%, which is by no means a dominant lead, especially since he’s a 66-year old political veteran who’s been on the City Council since 1997.
Latha Mangipudi is running as a Democrat to be New Hampshire’s State Representative from Ward 8. She is running against Republican Pete Silva, who has come under fire in recent weeks for making some offhandedly racist comments about India, saying that a polling place during the primaries “looked like New Delhi.” Her platform highlights education reform, changes in healthcare policies to help senior citizens, and various community needs.
In North Carolina, there are not one, but four Indian Americans vying for elected office as part of the town council of Morrisville. There is incumbent Steve Rao, and challengers Rao Bondalapati, Vinnie Goel, and Narendra Singh. The town is roughly 20% Indian, with 3,717 Indian Americans living there as of the 2010 Census. If all four win, which is a tough proposition, it would mean that more than half the town council is comprised of Indians.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com