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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline MAY 24, 2024 | The Indian Eye 34

Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla
GHAZALA HASHMI raised $649,077 in the 1st quarter of
State Senator joins race for 2024. This was a huge total for a can-
didate challenging a sitting member
of the House - Rep. Rob Menendez.
Virginia lieutenant governor A recent super PAC-commissioned
poll found Bhalla with a five-point
lead over Menendez, a freshman
congressman seeking a second term
against the headwinds of his father’s
federal indictment.
Born and raised in New Jersey,
Bhalla served eight years on the
Hoboken City Council before be-
coming Mayor in November 2017,
and numbers show that his message
of inclusivity and hard work is reso-
nating with voters.
Bhalla graduated in political psy-
chology from the University of Cali-
fornia, Berkeley. He did an M.Sc. in public administration from the London
School of Economics, and a J.D. from Tulane Law School.
It is believed that Bhalla’s well-funded campaign could break through
and bring about the first primary loss for a New Jersey member of Congress
in decades. If elected, Bhalla would be the first-ever turbaned Sikh to serve in
Congress, and the second Asian American to represent New Jersey in Wash-
ington. Not coincidentally, many of the donors fueling his campaign appear to
tate Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, (D-Chesterfield), officially launched her cam- come from the country’s Sikh and Indian American communities – a nation-
paign to become the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in wide network that has paid big dividends for Bhalla.
SVirginia in 2025. Hashmi was widely expected to enter the race ahead of
her official announcement this week. Hashmi works at Reynolds Community
College and was inspired to get involved in politics by Donald Trump’s travel RAMESH BHUTADA
ban targeting Muslims in 2017. Hashmi flipped her state Senate seat in 2019.
“As a mother of two girls and as someone who won the ‘Defender of Philanthropist donates $1 m to
Choice’ award in 2023, I have fought hard to protect reproductive healthcare
and will continue to secure reproductive rights in Virginia as lieutenant gov- Hindu American Foundation
ernor,” Hashmi said in her campaign announcement.
Hashmi said she does not view the post as a launchpad to the governor-
ship, but as a way to expand her role in Richmond’s upper chamber, where
Democrats have a 21-19 edge.
Hashmi has championed legislation to protect reproductive freedoms,
such as bolstering access to birth control in Virginia, and the issue looks to be
a centerpiece of her campaign.
“Sen. Hashmi enters the race as a serious candidate for LG,” said Stephen
Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washing-
ton. “She has an effective track record as a legislator in Richmond. Her focus
on health concerns provides a specific appeal to the many Democratic pri-
mary voters concerned about the affordability and availability of health care.”
Hashmi was born in India and moved with her family at age four to the
United States, where her father taught political science at Georgia Southern
University. She eventually earned an undergraduate degree there in English.

RAVI BHALLA
Hokoben Mayor running a

spirited fundraising campaign

n May 7, the New Jersey community rallied around Hoboken Mayor ndian-American philanthropist Ramesh Bhutada has donated $ 1 mn
Ravi Bhalla in a spirited fundraiser as he strives for a seat in Congress to the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) for Hindu causes in the US.
Orepresenting the eighth district of NJ. Addressing the attendees, Bhal- IHouston-based businessman Bhutada during a recent gala of Hindu
la emphasized the importance of fair elections, stating, “Our elections in the American Foundation committed USD 1 million over the next 4 years to HAF.
8th district are coronations instead of elections. I am running to give voters a The Annual Houston Fundraising Gala on Saturday, April 13. This is the third
chance to vote for a qualified candidate with a track record of accomplishment. such commitment he has made in the past year to key Hindu institutions.
I wasn’t born on third base with a powerful last name. Like the hardworking In March 2023, he donated USD 1 million to the Florida-based Hindu
people of the 8th district, I earned everything I have achieved.” Continued on next page... >>

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