Maryland Gubernatorial Candidate Ashwani Jain Names LaTrece Hawkins Lytes as Running Mate
- The community activist and mother of four joins the 31-year-old Obama-Biden administration veteran who is seeking to be the nationâs first millennial, and the state's first South Asian and first governor of color.
Ashwani Jain, a gubernatorial candidate in Maryland has chosen community activist LaTrece Hawkins Lytes as his running mate. If elected, the two âwill bring a new energy to the highest offices in our state and will be focused on implementing specific policies to help all Marylanders,â said a press release issued by Jain on Jan. 13. âMy family and I are really just your average, typical Maryland family, said Hawkins Lytes, a mother of four. âWe work hard and try to make ends meet while taking care of each other. We donât have fancy titles or big political connections.â
Jain, 31, Obama-Biden administration veteran announced his candidacy last January. He is seeking to be the nationâs first millennial Governor, Marylandâs first governor of color and Marylandâs first South Asian governor.
Incumbent Republican Gov. Larry Hogan is currently in his second term and cannot seek re-election to a third consecutive term.
According to the Jan. 13 press release, the Jain for Governor campaign has two main objectives. âThe first is to make Marylandâs state government more representative, transparent, and accountable by focusing on inclusion, banning corruption, and ensuring equal access. The second is to take a comprehensive approach to solving Marylandâs issues by focusing on a âRelief, Recovery and Reformâ agenda.â
The press release describes the campaign as âone of the largest grassroots campaigns in Maryland and the first statewide campaign in the U.S. to be 100% volunteer-run, crowdsource policy, and limit the influence of money by making all events free.â
In a blog in American Kahani, Jain wrote that as an 18-year survivor of childhood cancer; as a son of Indian immigrants and small business owners; as a Maryland native and product of public schools; and as a diverse millennialâ he understands âthe real impact of policies, including the inequities, because theyâve impacted me directly.â