Kannan Srinivasan, who became the first Indian American immigrant to be sworn in as Virginia state delegate a year ago; is now on the ballot for an essential special election on Tuesday, January 7, for the state Senate seat left vacant by the election of Democratic state Senator Suhas Subramanyam to the United States Congress last November. A first-generation immigrant from Chennai, who abandoned a long and successful career in finance and business analysis for public life and service; The Democratic delegate is known for working across the aisle. Deeply committed to native Democratic politics, Srinivasan last year successfully passed eight bills in the House and Senate, almost all with bipartisan support. From women’s reproductive rights to quality public education, issues he will strongly advocate for if he becomes a state senator, to the recent racist rhetoric surrounding the H-1B work permit visa; Srinivasan spoke to Ishani Duttagupta of the Occasions of India on various topics. Edited excerpts from the interview:
QUESTION: You are running for the Virginia State Senate for the seat that became vacant after Suhas Subramanyam was elected to the United States House of Representatives; while Congressman Subramanyam has endorsed you, you have endorsed JJ Singh for his current assembly seat. Are you increasingly seeing Indian Americans running for election in high-profile races in Virginia?
TO: Absolutely, particularly in Northern Virginia. Also, in Richmond, new Mayor Danny Avula is a good friend of mine. He is Indian American, originally from Hyderabad and the first immigrant elected mayor of Richmond. In Virginia, there is a lot of interest among the Asian and Indian American community in serving in administration and public office and participating in electoral politics. I am the first Indian-American delegate elected to the Virginia House of Representatives, representing Loudoun, and I am now running for the State Senate to replace Congressman Subramanyam. For my District 26 House seat, I have endorsed JJ Singh, who won the Democratic primary. We are both on Tuesday’s ballot for the special election to fill these two vacant seats.
Q: As a first-generation immigrant from India, what have been some of the highlights of your political journey?
TO: I am a CPA and came to the US in 1992 for higher education. My wife (Jayashree) and I are from Chennai and came for higher education like many Indians. I had a very successful career in the private sector in finance, having worked for NEW Asurion Company and chef José Andrés’ restaurant group. In my first job, I helped the company grow from a very small company to become number one globally in its field. Public service is a calling for us. My wife’s grandfather, Dr. V. Varadhachari, was the elected president of Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu in the 1950s and 1960s and carried out successful pioneering projects. He was also a surgeon and had worked as a freedom fighter with Gandhiji, Jawaharlal Nehru and K. Kamraj. Inspired by him, it was our desire to give back to this country after learning from our lived experiences dealing with the immigration system and healthcare system. As a young graduate student, I was hit by a truck in 1993 and my wife had to have surgery; We were denied Medicaid coverage. We realized that holding public office is the best way to give back and contribute. I have also served as chair of the Virginia Medicaid Board (DMAS) for seven years under three governors. Coming from the world’s largest democracy to the oldest democracy, I have chosen public service to give back to our community and show what we can do to improve society and provide good governance.
Q: In recent days, there has been an unprecedented wave of racist attacks against Indian professionals in the US with H-1B work permits – as an elected representative in the government and leader of the Indian-American community – which is your perspective on this? ?
TO: It is very unfortunate. I myself came to the US on an F-1 student visa and then had an H-1B visa. I got a green card and then got citizenship. So I know absolutely the entire process because I have lived it; and it is extremely unfortunate to hear the recent racist rhetoric. There needs to be calibrated improvement and checks and balances in the H-1B visa process; but the value that this visa category has brought to this country and the businesses here is immense. In fact, I was the first H-1B employee at my company; and after that they would have had thousands. So I know the process and the value it brings; although I support checks and balances.
As a first-generation immigrant, who came here for higher education, I know the pain people are probably going through right now hearing racist rhetoric. During the election campaign, I have reached out to them as their ally, to stand up to them and to make sure we have a fair system. It should be fair not only for the citizens but also for those who come and work here. This is also very important for businesses and the American economic ecosystem.
I would also like to highlight that one of the Bills I worked very hard on; that became law with bipartisan support in Virginia: the Foreign Medical Graduates Bill. I co-sponsored and co-sponsored the bill that allows a medical graduate from any country, for example an MBBS from India with five years of experience, to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and, if they agree to work for two years in rural Virginia, to obtain a temporary license immediately. And if they work for a total of four years, they will obtain a permanent license without the required residency.
Q: What are the key issues of your current campaign and your previous electoral campaigns?
TO: I am a finance person always looking for good governance policies to help improve the quality of life and reduce the cost of living. I want to make sure Virginians have access to a high-quality education. But if you ask me what my top priority is, it’s women’s reproductive right to choose, especially given recent Supreme Court decisions. Number 2 is gun safety; That is a big concern in my district and in the last Assembly session I passed legislation about it. The third is education – that is what brought us here to the US and it is important to invest in education and promote excellence. My parents were public school teachers in Chennai and I would like to ensure that our teachers get the best salary; That’s important to retaining high-quality teachers in Loudoun and Virginia. Local issues such as reducing the cost of living have always been important to me. I have solid experience in the private sector and economic growth; For me, bringing new jobs to Virginia and making sure our tax dollars are spent wisely is my top priority.
Q: Many of the laws you have passed have received bipartisan support. How important do you think it will be for elected Democratic representatives, in the future, to work across parties, with a Republican president and a Republican majority in the House and Senate?
TO: I’m known for a type of consensus-building politics that works across parties. I am known to be a workhorse in the Assembly and passed eight bills last session, most of which were bipartisan. I bring a policy of getting things done; that’s my motto in Richmond and that’s what I plan and hope to bring to the Senate. I want to bring people together and promote legislation that benefits all Virginians. I always say Loudoun is my home and Virginia is my district. That’s why I’m looking for policies that help Virginians across the Commonwealth.
While my plan is to work in a bipartisan manner; but it is also important to firmly establish our values and priorities. There is a lot of concern in Northern Virginia about the uncertainty with the new incoming administration in Washington DC. This is of great concern to my constituents and community members, so it is very important to continue working across both parties. It is important to establish the principles of helping all Virginians and ensure that we prioritize people’s health and invest in public education.
Q: Are Indian Americans part of your campaign team and largely supportive of you?
TO: Yes, I had many American Indian interns on my team last year and I have many now. I have a lot of support from the community in all aspects, from fundraising to knocking on doors and supporting friends. These districts have a large Asian population and the Indian American community is a large portion of the Asian population. They support me a lot when they see that someone like me, who came here like them and is literally one of them, is elected. Last year, on my swearing-in day, January 20 at the Virginia State Capitol, there was a snow storm, yet more than 100 people from the community came down to Richmond. This is an essential choice; We are working very hard to earn every vote. I am very committed to getting this over the finish line because we have three key constitutional amendments at stake.
Q: Are you strongly connected to your Indian roots?
TO: Absolutely. I was at the Rajdhani temple for New Years and I am a regular at every Indian-American event you can imagine. For the first time in the history of the Virginia assembly, I got a Hindu priest from the Vedic Temple to come and do an invocation. He sang the Vedas and Upanishads and translated the verses into English. Last year, I took oath on Bhagavad Gita and Naalayira Divya Prabandham in Tamil. My wife and I are from Chennai and ours is the Vaisnavite tradition. My wife was wearing a sari and I was wearing the traditional angavastram over my coat.
