NEW YORK: Indian-American Democrat Suhas Subramanyam has announced his bid for Virginia's newly-drawn 32nd Senate District.
Subramanyam, who is serving the 87th District of Virginia, will succeed Senator John Bell, who announced he will not be in the race for Senate again.
"If elected to the Senate, I will continue the work I started as a delegate to empower my constituents, put people and families before special interests, and stand up for our core values," Subramanyam said in a statement.
In his bid, Subramanyam is endorsed by Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton, Senator John Bell and several Democratic elected leaders representing the Eastern Loudoun county.
A resident of Loudoun County, Subramanyam became the first Indian-American and South Asian to ever be elected to the Virginia General Assembly in 2019.
"I look forward to sharing my vision this campaign season of creating a robust economy that works for Loudon families and businesses alike, protecting our freedoms like reproductive rights and voting rights from extremism, delivering a world-class education to our kids, and keeping our community safe and healthy," he added.
A technology and regulatory attorney, Subramanyam served as a White House advisor to President Barack Obama in 2015, where he led a task force on technology policy that addressed job creation, IT modernisation, and regulating emerging technology.
Prior to that, he earned his law degree with honors from Northwestern University School of Law, volunteering at the Center for Wrongful Convictions, where he was part of the legal team that freed a man who had spent 21 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.
For his professional accomplishments and work in the community, he was named to the Loudoun Times-Mirror's '40 Under 40'.
Subramanyam will face former state delegate and dentist Ibraheem Samirah in the primary for the 32nd District.