Indian American Impact endorses 15 candidates

Indian American Impact that seeks to build political power for Indian Americans has announced a second round of endorsements which include state and local candidates running for office this year.

The second slate of 15 candidates includes one each in Arizona and New York, two in Pennsylvania, four in California, five in Texas and two in Washington.

“It is critical that we support these candidates early and in any way we can to ensure they have what they need in order to win their primaries,” it said.

READ: Indian American Impact Fund endorses Suhas Subramanyam (January 8, 2024)

With the 2024 race for the White House, many critical statewide, state legislative, and local races are happening concurrently, Indian American Impact noted. Some states will have their primaries for state and local candidates the same day as the presidential primary and some have separate primaries.

Here is a list of candidates endorsed by Indian American Impact:

Arizona

Priya Sundareshan– Arizona, State Senate District 18

Born and raised in Tucson, Sundareshan studied engineering at MIT and law and natural resource economics at the U of A and currently teaches natural resources law at the University of Arizona.

READ: Indian American Impact endorses 7 more ‘trailblazing’ candidates (August 25, 2023)

She is running for re-election to the State Senate “to make Arizona a leader in renewable energy, and balance its water resources through conservation and efficiency.”

California

Angelo Farooq– California, State Senate District 31

Angelo Farooq has been elected for two terms on the Riverside School Board (governing 50 public schools). His statewide leadership includes serving as a Governor appointee: Chair of the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB).

He is “running for California State Senate because the families of District 31 deserve a voice that will fight to have a future with the high quality of life that we each deserve…”

Darshana Patel- California, State Assembly District 121

The daughter of immigrants who moved to California when she was a teen, Darshana Patel is a research scientist, School Board President and community leader.

She is “running for State Assembly because I want to make sure that every person has the opportunity to succeed and thrive, and because I can use my experience as a scientist, elected school board member, community leader, and a mom to make a difference in their lives. In the State Assembly, I’ll fight for our communities.”

Tara Sreekrishnan– California, State Assembly District 26

Tara Sreekrishnan serves as a Trustee on the Santa Clara County Board of Education since 2018 – overseeing 270,000 students and balancing a budget of $300 million. As a child of immigrants growing up in Silicon Valley, she “benefited from the diversity and energy in this District.”

She is “running for Assembly because I understand what it takes to make California financially responsible, improve our education system so that our children have future career opportunities, and to make sure our communities are safe, clean and affordable.”

Nithya Raman– California, City Council Los Angeles District 4

Born in Kerala, India, Nithya Raman moved to the US with her family when she was six, making her the only immigrant in the city council.

After graduating from Harvard and training in urban planning at MIT, she went to India and worked in Delhi and Chennai taking on extreme poverty, fighting for basic necessities like water, plumbing, and shelter.

Battling for a second term, Raman has been campaigning heavily on her work on homelessness, and on her advocacy for new bus and bicycle lanes, government reforms and the delivery of aid to tenants on the brink of eviction.

New York

Minita Sanghvi– New York, State Senate District 44

Born to a conservative family of entrepreneurs and innovators in India, Sanghvi immigrated to the United States in 2001. She has been teaching business at Skidmore College for nearly ten years.

In 2021 she was elected to serve as the Saratoga Springs Finance Commissioner and has been called the “voice of reason” on the council for her problem-solving, fiscally responsible approach.

She is running because “We need a leader who will put people ahead of partisan politics in Albany and focus on solutions.

Pennsylvania

Joe Khan- Pennsylvania, Attorney General

The son of a Muslim engineer who came to America to build bridges, Khan has served as a local prosecutor, federal prosecutor and county solicitor.

He’s advocated for a more representative Pennsylvania government, both as a member of the Governor’s Advisory Commission for Asian Pacific American Affairs and as a founder of Second Generation PAC, an organization supporting candidates from immigrant communities.

He is “running to tackle corporate and political corruption, keep our families safe and build a better world for all Pennsylvanians.”

Anna Thomas- Pennsylvania, State House District 13

Born and raised in Bethlehem Township, Anna Thomas grew up in a family of immigrants from Malaysia and India. She has served on the School Board of the Bethlehem Area School District.

She is “running for State Representative because she wants government policy to be driven by common sense and fairness. Low and middle-income families carry too much of the tax burden in Pennsylvania.”

Texas

Sandeep Srivastava– Texas, 3rd Congressional District

Srivastava is a first-generation immigrant who has found success in the real estate business and helped create childcare centers to help address the growing need for affordable and accessible childcare services in the DFW metroplex.

Srivastava is also a long-time community activist who founded a non-profit organization to help new immigrants transition to the United States

He I s running for Congress “to bring his passion, dedication, and progressive values to Congress, championing the rights and needs of the community and paving the way for a brighter future for all.”

Karthik Soora- Texas, State Senate District 15

Soora grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas and attended Arkansas’s public magnet schools as part of a busing program. After completing his undergraduate studies, Soora became a chemistry teacher.

He co-founded a social venture called One Jump, a web platform that links low-income students to transformative enrichment opportunities to improve college access.

He is “running for Texas State Senate District 15 because we can’t solve 21st-century problems with a 19th-century system. We need real reform, and change starts with ensuring that ALL Texans, not just the billionaires and MAGA Republicans, are heard in the halls of power.”

Shekhar Sinha– Texas, State House District 44

Sinha immigrated from India and graduated from Penn State with dual Master’s in Math and Computer Science in 1989. He’s worked in the IT (Information Technology) industry in USA for 33 years in both technical and management positions.

With exposure to diverse fields of knowledge and as a quick learner, he “can draw on them to come up with meaningful, effective solutions to our complex problems in the Texas State Legislature.”

He supports protecting women’s reproductive rights, protecting children from firearm injuries, which is their leading cause of death in USA, protecting voting rights, tackling climate change, protecting the environment, protecting workers’ rights, increasing minimum wage, making public colleges affordable, protecting LGBTQ rights, expanding Medicaid and other Federal programs to cover uninsured residents and lend a helping hand to those in need.

Salman Bhojani- Texas, State House District 92

After immigrating from Pakistan to Texas as a teenager, Bhojani has risen from convenience store cashier to successful business owner, attorney, Euless City Councilman, and Texas State Representative.

Seeking a second term, Bhojani is the first Muslim and the first South Asian ever elected to the Texas Legislature. He is also the first person of color ever elected to represent House District 92.

Sherine Thomas– Texas, Judge Travis County 353rd Judicial Court

Thomas’ American story began in 1971 when her family left New Delhi, India to come to America. Thomas chose to devote her legal career to public service, a decision that placed her on the path to becoming a Judge.

She became the first woman and minority to serve Executive County Attorney. Her leadership record includes service as a Board Member for Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, and as a former President on the Board of Directors for Austin Habitat for Humanity.

She is a Founding Member of the Indian Coalition of Texas (IACT) and current Board Member, as well as a former Board Member for the Indian Community Center. She is a founding member and current Chair for the South Asian Bar Association Austin .

Washington

Manka Dhingra- Washington, Attorney General

Manka Dhingra is the State Senator for the 45th legislative district in Washington and Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate. She is Chair of the Law & Justice committee, and a member of the Health & Long Term Care committee and Ways & Means committee.

In her professional capacity, she has also served as a member of Shoreline Police Department’s Advisory Group for Response Awareness De-escalation and Referral (RADAR) and participated in the Seattle Police Department’s Muslim, Sikh, and Arab Advisory Council.

Dhingra is a co-founder of Chaya, a South Asian organization that helps survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking. She served on the board for seven years and was President of the board for the last two years.

She is running to continue her work to advocate for safe communities for all, access to behavioral health services, responsible investment in transportation, environmental protections, and ensuring our children have the resources needed to be the successful leaders our state needs to continue its tremendous economic growth.

Mona Das– Washington, Commissioner of Public Lands

Mona Das is a powerful force for environmental justice, racial equity, housing affordability, and economic fairness in Washington.

Das’ family came to the US when she was eight months old with only six dollars in their pockets, and her lived experience has driven her commitment to dismantling barriers for marginalized people in every aspect of her work and life.

In 2018, Das was elected State Senator for the 47th district and served until 2023. resilience, and championed millions of dollars in climate resilience projects like the Soos Creek Hatchery in Auburn.

She is running to be Commissioner of Public Lands to “ensure we are using our state lands to fight climate change, protect Washington’s natural heritage for future generations, and to modernize state lands to ensure working forests provide a viable economy now and into the future.”