Political Calculus: Illinois Math Teacher Nikhil Bhatia Announces Run for U.S. Congress From 7th District

The Indian American joins the list of potential successors running to replace the longtime representative Danny Davis, although he has announced his intention to seek a 15th term in Congress.

Nikhil Bhatia, a math teacher from Illinois has announced his run for the U.S. Congress from the 7th District. The Indian American is the latest candidate to join the list of potential successors eyeing Rep. Danny Davis’ seat, “although he has announced his intention to seek a 15th term in the Congress,” as reported by Crain’s Chicago Business. The district covers the South and West Sides of Chicago as well as the western suburbs.

Bhatia is a teacher in Grand Crossing and an elected Local School Council member at Galileo Scholastic Academy on Chicago’s Near West Side. He has “worked in urban education for 11 years, including five years as a middle school principal,” he says on his website, adding that he “recently received” his master’s at UChicago’s Harris School of Public Policy from the University of Chicago, “in order to study how we can tackle the systematic issues that oppress many of our communities,” his website adds. “I would like to combine my passion for social justice and expertise in leadership and data analysis to make a social impact.”

Explaining the reasons for running for the U.S. Congress on his LinkedIn profile, Bhatia said that although he’s spent his “entire career in urban education, the obstacles all of our kids face — underfunded schools, gun violence, climate change, and rolling back rights for women and LGBTQ students — are overwhelming. We need a solution that goes well beyond the classroom. And to do that, we need to change who we are sending to Washington. Change can’t wait.”

On his website, Bhatia notes that providing a better future for our children, means “we can’t keep sending the same career politicians to Washington and hope for a different result. We need leaders who can relate to today’s challenges and have fresh ideas for creating a better tomorrow.”