Earlier this month, Indian American lawyer and law professor Neil Makhija won the Democratic party nomination for the post of Montgomery county commissioner in Pennsylvania. Being elected as one of the Democratic nominees for Montgomery places him in line to become the first South Asian and Indian American to serve as a county commissioner anywhere in the state of Pennsylvania. Makhija, who holds the position of executive director at Impact which is an organisation dedicated to ensure that every level of the US government reflects the diversity and values of the people it serves; took leave “to run for this seat and put together a historic campaign that built a robust programme to reach all Democratic voters across the county,” according to an official statement from Impact.
Makhija will now be contesting in the general election in the US in November to determine control of the three-member board of commissioners in Pennsylvania’s third largest county. If elected, the 36-year-old law professor at the University of Pennsylvania; whose parents immigrated to the US from India, will be the first South Asian and Indian American member to serve in the position. Makhija had earlier worked at the White House in 2021 and at the US Senate. He earned his JD at Harvard Law School. Montgomery county commission is the governing body of the county consisting of five elected members.
“Earlier this month there were key municipal primary and general elections across the country with Impact-endorsed candidates on the ballot. Once again, our candidates showed what hard work and a commitment to their communities can yield, securing historic victories everywhere,” an official statement from the organisation said.
Other Impact endorsed Indian American candidates include Annie Gomez, running for school board in Ossining, New York; Saji Mathew, Democratic nominee for Lower Moreland, Pennsylvania school board; Suhas Subramanyam for the Virginia House of Delegates and Puja Khanna for Loudoun county commissioner.
Makhija will now be contesting in the general election in the US in November to determine control of the three-member board of commissioners in Pennsylvania’s third largest county. If elected, the 36-year-old law professor at the University of Pennsylvania; whose parents immigrated to the US from India, will be the first South Asian and Indian American member to serve in the position. Makhija had earlier worked at the White House in 2021 and at the US Senate. He earned his JD at Harvard Law School. Montgomery county commission is the governing body of the county consisting of five elected members.
“Earlier this month there were key municipal primary and general elections across the country with Impact-endorsed candidates on the ballot. Once again, our candidates showed what hard work and a commitment to their communities can yield, securing historic victories everywhere,” an official statement from the organisation said.
Other Impact endorsed Indian American candidates include Annie Gomez, running for school board in Ossining, New York; Saji Mathew, Democratic nominee for Lower Moreland, Pennsylvania school board; Suhas Subramanyam for the Virginia House of Delegates and Puja Khanna for Loudoun county commissioner.