Democrat Kumar Barve, the veteran Indian-American politico who became the first ‘desi’ to be elected to a US State legislature back in 1990, has decided to run for the US Congress next year. A member of the Maryland House of Delegates and a former majority leader in that chamber, the 56-year-old Barve will run for the seat being vacated by Congressman Chris Van Hollen, who plans to run for a Senate seat from Maryland.
Announcing the decision in an email to his supporters, Barve said he would be running to “help rebuild our middle class, restore hope in the American dream, and grow our economy so that everyone has an opportunity to thrive and the freedom to live as they wish”. “My family, like so many others, came to America for freedom and opportunity. As they left India and travelled across the Atlantic they knew they would face hardships but they were hopeful that they would succeed,” he said.