People ask me why I am running for the U.S. Congress. My answer is simple. 

I want the promise of the American Dream to be a reality for others as it has been for my family and me. 

I grew up living the American Dream. My father left India and came to this country as a student in 1959. Two years later he was able to bring me and the rest of my family to the United States. I didn’t speak a word of English when I first came to America, but the public school system worked with me, and I was caught up within a year. Our family struggled on a minimal income. My mother babysat and my older brother delivered newspapers to bring in more money. With time and hard work, our situation gradually improved. My family was able to buy a house in Albany, New York. On my 18th birthday, I was excited and honored to become a naturalized U.S. citizen.  

Education was always viewed as an essential part of our lives. I received my B.S. degree in Chemistry from the State University of New York, and my Ph.D. in Chemistry from M.I.T. in 1980. This led to a successful career in the semiconductor industry. I worked as an engineer, a project and people manager for most of my career. I’ve engineered new products, helped new businesses launch their technology, and overseen and implemented annual budgets of over a billion dollars.  
 
I’m a husband to my wonderful wife Kate, and a proud dad and step dad to three terrific daughters.

I want the promise of the American Dream to be a reality for others as it has been for my family and me. I see this dream diminishing as middle class families work harder and harder just to stay in the same place, or worse yet, slide into poverty. I want to strengthen the middle class and keep them on track to a promising future. When Americans are working and see a bright future, our economy prospers. When American children are getting a complete education in public schools, and when higher education is within reach, we’ll have a workforce that can compete with any country in the world. This is my vision for America.

I am a moderate Democrat. I believe we can bring new jobs to this district and we can strengthen our middle class. But in order to do that, Congress must be willing to listen and work with all sides. It must be willing to compromise and make deals if America is to prosper. Grandstanding is not an option.  We must have a Congress that works together and gets our problems solved. It's why I'm running for Congress and I hope you will support me in making our district successful and vibrant again.