Now Reading
Andrew Yang Endorses Indian American Suraj Patel in New York Congressional Race

Andrew Yang Endorses Indian American Suraj Patel in New York Congressional Race

  • The 40-year-old former Obama staffer is challenging two veteran lawmakers — U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler and U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney — in the Democratic primary for the state’s newly drawn 12th Congressional District.

Former Democratic presidential candidate and New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang has endorsed New York Democrat Suraj Patel in a keenly-observed New York Congressional race. Patel is challenging two veteran lawmakers — U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler and U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney — in the Democratic primary for New York’s newly drawn 12th Congressional District.

“So many people here in New York and around the country are looking for young leadership, and people in Manhattan are lucky to have that candidate in Suraj Patel,” Yang said while announcing his endorsement. Yang said he’s backing Patel because he’s “young, tech-savvy, understands the future, has many policy ideas, and is also the son of immigrants, has run a business, and has been an activist for years.”

A former Obama staffer, Patel, 40, previously challenged Maloney in 2020 and 2018. In 2020, he lost by about 4 points, while in 2018, he received about 17,000 votes in the primary, 8,000 less than Maloney.

It remains to be seen if Democrats in the district will jettison Maloney, who chairs the powerful House Oversight Committee, and opt for a freshman who will not wield the kind of influence that the incumbent does with her seniority. Patel also has an uphill task in the newly drawn congressional district. New redistricting maps have merged parts of Nadler’s Upper West Side district with parts of Maloney’s Upper East Side district in Manhattan. The New York Times reported that in 2020, Patel had performed “particularly well in left-leaning enclaves of Brooklyn and Queens, which now represent a smaller share of the district after a new redistricting plan designed by Democratic state legislators.” According to the Census Reporter, District 12 has a 15 percent Asian population, and 62 percent White. 

Patel with his fiancée Emily Heinz Bina.

On his social media handles, Patel said he was running for Congress because he will never stop fighting. He said he’s going to finish what he started this year to ensure that voters choose their politicians and not the other way around. “With our democracy under attack, we need consistent fighters for it here at home.

See Also

Patel was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and grew up in Indiana. He has lived in New York since attending New York University School of Law some 12 years ago. He earned a B.A. in political science from Stanford University in 2005. He then received a J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 2009. In 2014, Patel earned his master of philosophy from the University of Cambridge.

He is the president of Sun Group of Companies, a real estate and investment firm specializing in hospitality, and an adviser to political campaigns as well as technology startups.  

He has served as the president of the Sun Group of Companies since 2011. He has been a founding team member of The Arena since 2016. He was also co-founder of Creative Caucus in 2016. He has also served as an adjunct professor of business ethics at the NYU Stern School of Business since 2015.

What's Your Reaction?
Excited
1
Happy
0
In Love
0
Not Sure
0
Silly
0
View Comments (0)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

© 2020 American Kahani LLC. All rights reserved.

The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of American Kahani.
Scroll To Top