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Indian American lawyer and educator Neel Makhija has been selected as the Democratic candidate for Montgomery County Commissioner, moving him one step closer to becoming the first Asian American to hold the top office in Pennsylvania.
Makhija began running in the primary election Tuesday for county commissioner in Montgomery County, which has the largest Asian American population in Pennsylvania.
“It’s official! After a successful underdog campaign, I am officially the nominated Democratic candidate for Montgomery County Commissioner,” Makhija shared the news on Twitter on Wednesday.
“None of this would have happened without my amazing team and supporters, for which I am immeasurably grateful. Together we made history,” he tweeted.
Makhija, of Sindhi family of Indian origin, will run in November’s general election for control of the three-member county commission in Pennsylvania’s third-largest county, with a population of more than 865,000.
If elected, the 36-year-old election law professor from the University of Pennsylvania would be the first commissioner of South Asian descent to fill the post vacated by outgoing commissioner Valerie Arkoosh.
“Congratulations to my friend Neel Makhija on being elected as the Democratic candidate for Montgomery County Commissioner, PA!” tweeted Aruna Miller, Maryland’s first Indian-American Lieutenant Governor.
In an email to supporters following his victory, Makhija said his campaign had “inspired a new and diverse coalition of voters to get out and vote in every corner of the county.”
The Montgomery County Commission is the governing body for Montgomery County and is made up of five commissioners elected by district.
Each commissioner is elected to a four-year term and represents approximately 45,000 voters.
The Montgomery County Commission’s responsibilities include managing all of the county’s public funds and adopting an annual budget that reflects projected revenues and expenses (by law, expenditures cannot exceed revenues).
If elected, Makhija, along with other commissioners, would be tasked with managing a budget of more than $500 million and 3,000 employees, including elections, the courts, the district attorney’s office, the public health department and public infrastructure.
The commissioners will also oversee the administration of the 2024 presidential election, which is expected to put local election officials in the battleground state of Pennsylvania in the spotlight.
Makhija served in the White House and the Senate and earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School as a Horace Lenz Scholar.
The Pennsylvania native, the son of Indian immigrants, is passionate about giving suffrage to underrepresented communities and bringing new citizens into state and local politics.
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