Roughly 300 attend reception.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WINDSOR MILL, MD: South Asian Americans in Maryland maybe reliably Democrat, but that has not stopped them, from time to time, from fully embracing Republican leaders they have found appealing.
Early indications are that, Larry Hogan, the newly elected governor of the state, is one such Republican they are going to treat as their own.
On Saturday, approximately 300 South Asian Americans gathered here at Martins West to celebrate the victory of Hogan, who defeated the heavily favored incumbent Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown in the November elections.
Nearly $100,000 was raised at the reception for the Larry Hogan for Governor Committee.
The reception was hosted by South Asian American community leaders Jasdip “Jesse” Singh and Sajid “CJ” Tarar.
“I am truly humbled and deeply grateful for the opportunity [to serve the people of Maryland],” Hogan said in his brief remarks. Reminding that his campaign was “about bringing together all Marylanders,” the governor-elect thanked South Asians for their support. The Republican added that, in Baltimore County, which he carried by more than 20 plus points, support from the South Asian community was especially strong.
Hogan was accompanied by his Korean-born wife, Yumi Hogan, an accomplished artist who is set to become the state’s first Asian American first lady.
A number of prominent Indian Americans attended the reception, including physicians Dr. Harbhajan Ajrawat, Dr. Navin Shah and Dr. Sudhir Sakseria. Besides Singh and Tarar, the host committee consisted of, among others, Sharad Doshi, Dr. Suresh K Gupta, Mayur Modi and Pavan Bezwada.