Democratic party nominee Raj Mukherji, a rising Indian-American figure on the political scene here, has won the State Assembly polls in New Jersey, becoming one of the youngest to be elected to the house.

29-year-old Mukherji, a first-time Democratic nominee for the 33rd Legislative District and former Jersey City Deputy Mayor, had won the primary election in June by a 36-point margin.

According to the Office of County Clerk, Hudson County, Mukherji got 18,586 votes and will represent the Legislative District, which covers Hoboken, Union City, Weehawken and parts of Jersey City.

He is the son of Indian American immigrants and has had a stellar rise in the political arena.

According to information provided by his ‘Raj Mukerji for Assembly’ website, Mukherji supported himself through high school, college and grad school as an emancipated minor when his parents were forced to return to India due to economic constraints.His father Asim Mukherji was an accountant who could not work because of health reasons and could not afford health coverage without employment.

“This experience shaped Raj’s perspective and interest in healthcare and inspired much of his subsequent advocacy in that field,” according to personal information about Mukherji posted the website.

From March 2012 through June 2013, Mukherji served as one of the two Deputy Mayors of Jersey City, New Jersey’s second largest city.

He had also founded an internet consulting and software development company while in middle school, which he later sold to a larger technology company.

Following the September 11 attacks in the city, Mukherji joined the US Marines at age 17, where he served in military intelligence for the Marine Corps Reserve.

At 19, he co-founded a public affairs firm that he grew into the state’s third largest lawyer-lobbying firm while learning the inner workings of the State House.

With clients ranging from social justice causes to higher education institutions to government agencies to Fortune 500 corporations, he advocated to abolish the death penalty in New Jersey and replace it with life imprisonment without parole and lobbied for equality for lesbians, gays and transgender community.
At age 24, Mukherji was appointed the youngest Commissioner and Chairman in the history of the Jersey City Housing Authority – the state’s second largest housing authority – where his work for various reforms at the USD 70 million agency serving over 16,000 residents and over 6,700 households was widely appreciated.

Source: Deccan Herald

US India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) congratulates Latha Mangipudi on winning the special elections for State Representative in Hillsborough District 35 in New Hampshire by a margin of 59%-41%. Her opponent was Republican Peter Silva.
She joins fellow Democrats Daniel Hansberry and Mary Nelson in representing Ward 8, which is Hillsborough County District 35. Nearly 1,500 of Ward 8’s 5,973 registered voters turned out to vote, or just over 20 percent. It was the largest turnout of all nine city wards.
Latha is a first generation immigrant from India, who came to USA with a Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology. Latha used her experiences effectively in serving the community. She also served as a chair of USINPAC New Hampshire chapter and played a key role in motivating and involving the New Hampshire Indian American community to participate in the process of political advocacy. Latha organized several USINPAC events including Presidential and Congressional meetings at her residence.
On her victory, Latha said, “”We ran a great campaign, and I could not have done it without the support of my family, friends, campaign manager and the voters. My goal was to get the voters out to the polls and I am happy to see that there was such a great turnout. I ran for State Representative so I could represent the voice of the people from the community and I am happy that the voters in Ward 8 chose me to represent them. I am thrilled to represent Ward 8 in Concord and I will work hard to make decisions that are best for Nashua and for the state of New Hampshire.”
USINPAC Chairman Sanjay Puri said, “USINPAC is proud of Latha. Her massive victory is a significant boost for the Indian American community, especially in the State of New Hampshire where the number of Indian Americans is much less as compared to states like New York and California. USINPAC has supported her local efforts in past and will continue to do so. We wish her all the best for the journey ahead and hope to see her being sworn in at the State House very soon.”