Highlights:
- Aparna Raj wins Democratic primary for Washington, DC Ward 1
- Could become the first Indian American elected to the DC Council
- Raj campaigned on affordable housing, public transit, and workers' rights
- Identifies as a Democratic Socialist and community advocate
- General election victory in November would make history for Indian Americans in DC politics
INDIAN AMERICAN Democratic Socialist Aparna Raj has won the Democratic primary for the Ward 1 seat on the Washington, DC Council, moving a step closer to becoming the first Indian American if she is elected to the District Council of the US capital.
Raj, 32, was cheered by a large crowd of supporters after her victory in the race to become the Democratic Party’s candidate for Ward 1.
The primary results were declared last Sunday (21). Raj is described on her campaign website and social media accounts as a Democratic Socialist. She is the third known Indian American Democratic Socialist on a path to a possible electoral win, after New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and Los Angeles mayoral runoff candidate Nithya Raman
If Raj wins in November, it will mark a major result for the Democratic Socialists, who also endorsed Janeese Lewis George for mayor of Washington, DC. On her campaign website, Raj is described as “a renter, a queer woman of color, and a democratic socialist fighting to lower the cost of living.”
Raj has campaigned on stable housing, public schools, union jobs and public transit.
Ward 1 includes Columbia Heights, Park View, Adams Morgan, Mount Pleasant, Shaw, U Street, Kalorama, Howard and LeDroit Park.
“I never thought I would run for office, but I was tired of seeing a status quo that was grinding people down, having to beg our own government to maintain tenant and worker protections as the cost of living soared, and seeing our own elected leaders’ absence as we were fighting to protect immigrants from ICE,” Raj said in a victory statement posted on her social media account.
“This campaign has been about more than one person. It’s about the seniors who can only afford to live here because of their rent stabilized unit. The family who doesn’t know if they can afford childcare. The immigrant who has built a life & a community here and is worried it will be ripped away. The high school students who need to know that their city still cares about them. And that is exactly what the office will be about too,” Raj said.
“It’s an honor to officially be your Democratic nominee for the Ward 1 DC Council seat.”
