Indian American Krystle Kaul has a Compelling Background for Constituents of Virginia’s 10th Congressional District 

Krystle Kaul had always had a passion for serving. She moved to Washington D.C. at age 17 to study international relations and women in politics. She was working on Capitol Hill at age 19 through the Washington Leadership Program and gained experience. She also focused on her education to understand diplomacy, negotiation, political science and theory essential to be a foreign policy and national security expert. 

Last month, the 39-year-old Indian American trailblazer announced her bid to represent Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. Democratic Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton is not seeking re-election.  Her campaign is focusing on core issues such as public safety, education and healthcare, according to her website.

Kaul describes herself as a national security Democrat, “very committed to the security and defense of the nation. She told American Kahani that since she landed in Washington D.C., as a young woman, she has always focused on promoting Indian American youth in politics. She carried through with that promise in her Master’s and her doctoral work focused on international relations and political science. She then worked with the Department of Defense “serving the national security and defense base.”  Kaul believes that the thriving Indian American community should have at least 25 members in Congress, but instead, we have only five. “I think that as a community we are the least represented in politics, given, how successful we’ve been across sectors.”

The 10th Congressional District of Virginia encompasses parts of Virginia that have one of the highest concentrations of Indian Americans and South Asians in the state such as Loudoun County, Fairfax County and Prince Williams County. The district is “44 percent minority,” Kaul noted, out of which 16 percent are Asian. Ashburn, where Kaul lives, has a “very heavy Indian American population,” and “the predominant work of the district is defense contracting,” she added. “So most people either work for large defense contractors or are small business owners with defense contracts. The U.S. defense industrial base is the bread and butter of the district.”

Growing up in Wayne, New Jersey, and on Long Island, New York, Kaul is deeply steeped in Indian culture — from studying Sanskrit slokas and Vedic heritage to taking Kathak and Bharatanatyam classes. 

Kaul has spent her professional life in the national security and defense space from the Pentagon to think tanks and the defense industry. So her “profile resonates the most,” she said, as she’s the only one with that specific experience. “It’s the most relatable to my constituents because as a small business owner, I understand the instability of contracting and the challenges of receiving affordable healthcare,” she says, adding that her constituents “like that someone has at least walked their shoes which is important.” That relatability has translated into support. She also has “a tremendous amount of support” from the Indian American community, locally and nationally.

Growing up in Wayne, New Jersey, and on Long Island, New York, Kaul is deeply steeped in Indian culture — from studying Sanskrit slokas and Vedic heritage to taking Kathak and Bharatanatyam classes. “I really understand the Hindu religion and the rich tapestry of Indian culture which is very fitting considering my middle name is Veda.” 

Her interest in politics was incited in 1989 when she was five years old and heard stories about the Kashmiri Pandit genocide from her father.  She made a promise to her dad to bring awareness to the issue, and she has “held true” to that promise.  Her studies and career were focused on understanding the root causes of terrorism.  

She served as a Director of Strategic Communications (GS-15) at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, director of the U.S. Air Force and NATO for General Dynamics Information Technology, and as an Intelligence Political-Military Expert at U.S. Central Command

“Determined to continue to make a difference, she opened a small business that assists 8(a) firms, disabled veteran and women-owned businesses, as well as medium to large companies in helping them to apply their solutions to safeguard the U.S., her website says. Additionally, she teaches at MIT remotely through 2U.

She has traveled to 71 countries and speaks eight languages including Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, Arabic, Punjabi, Italian, and Dari. She graduated with a B.A. from American University, an M.A. from Brown University and Johns Hopkins University (SAIS) and has a Ph.D. in Political Science in progress at Brown University. She loves baking, cooking, rollerblading and spending quality time with her family and friends.