President Obama Endorses Indian-American Aftab Pureval For Congress

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In a list he released Aug. 1, on Twitter, former President Barack Obama endorsed 81 candidates in 13 states, among them Indian-American Aftab Pureval, candidate for the U.S. Congress from District 1 in Ohio. This is Obama’s first such list in anticipation of the Nov. 6 midterm elections.

“Today I’m proud to endorse such a wide and impressive array of Democratic candidates – leaders as diverse, patriotic, and big-hearted as the America they’re running to represent,” Obama said while releasing the list.

“President Obama is the person who inspired me to enter public service, so it is surreal and incredible to have his support in our race for Congress,” Pureval asserted in a mass mailing following the endorsememt. Pureval is the onli Indian-American on the list.

“It was President Obama who told us that we are the ones we’ve been waiting for and that change starts with us. And that’s why I’m asking you to celebrate this endorsement by helping us change our country,” Pureval went on to say, adding,”Our race here in OH-1 will be one of the most competitive races around the country this year. The experts just shifted our race to a “toss-up” — and now, even President Obama has taken notice.”

President Obama said he is confident that, “together, they’ll strengthen this country we love by restoring opportunity, repairing our alliances and standing in the world, and upholding our fundamental commitment to justice, fairness, responsibility, and the rule of law. But first, they need our votes.”

Pureval, whose father is of Indian origin and whose mother fled Tibet, won the May 9 Democratic primary unopposed in his party’s bid to turn a Red seat Blue. He is running against incumbent Republican Rep. Steve Chabot, and Independent candidate Mike Goldschmidt.

The 1st Congressional District is in Southwest Ohio and includes Hamilton and Warren Counties. The rating agencies, Cook Political Report, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball, earlier assessed the district as “leaning Republican” but now consider it a “toss-up.”

Pureval was born in Ohio and graduated in political science from Ohio State University in 2005. He has a law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

Pureval has worked as the global brand attorney for Olay at Proctor & Gamble. He has been awarded the NAACP Theodore Berry Award for Service and been recognized by the Business Courier as one of their 40 under 40. In his community of Hamilton County, Pureval was the first man to serve on the board of the Women’s Fund. He is also on the boards of the Ohio Innocence Project, Cincinnati Union Bethel, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra