PAC that Supports Indian-American candidates announces list of competitive races

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The Indian American Impact Fund, an initiative to help community leaders running for public office, urged voters to support a new list of “Frontline Candidates,” who it says are running is some of the most competitive districts across the country.

In a Sept. 28 press release, Deepak Raj, co-founder of Impact and chair of the Impact Fund, said, “These candidates are fighting for our community’s values in some of the toughest terrain across the country.” Raj is the founder and managing director of the New Jersey-based private investment firm Raj Associates. “That kind of commitment deserves our attention and respect, and that is why we established this new designation to raise their visibility among strategists, donors, and volunteers nationwide,” Raj added.

Impact’s list of “Frontline” Indian-American candidates includes:

• Chintan Desai, U.S. House (AR-01)
• Sanjay Patel, US. House (FL-08)
• R.K. Sandill, Texas Supreme Court
• Gayatri Agnew, Arkansas State House, District 93
• Poonam Gill, Indiana State House, District 88
• Aisha Yaqoob, Georgia State House, District 97
• Shalini Gagliardi, Morris County Clerk (New Jersey)
• Juli Mathew, Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 3 (Texas)
• Pavan Parikh, Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas (Ohio)
• Zahra Suratwala, DuPage County Board, District 1 (Illinois)

“As a former candidate and elected official, I know firsthand the hard work, dedication, and commitment it takes to run for office,” former Kansas Democratic State Representative Raj Goyle, co-founder of Impact, said. “We are so grateful that these courageous candidates have stepped up to lead and will be watching these races closely on Election Day,” Goyle added.

A political action committee, Impact Fund members and activists include a number of experienced political operatives and campaign strategists, a majority of them Democrats, and a number of whom were either in the Obama administration or active in campaigns nationwide.

Since it was established in January this year, Impact Fund has identified more than 100 Indian-American candidates running for office at various levels of government this year alone, and appeals to donors “to endorse candidates based on their viability and commitment to advocating for the needs and values of the Indian American community.”

“Some are fighting for our values in some of the toughest terrain,” Impact Fund tweeted, which is why it says it announced a new “Frontline” designation “to raise the visibility of these candidates among strategists, donors, and volunteers.”