My name is Reshma Saujani and I’m a Democrat running for Congress in New York’s 14th District. NY-14 encompasses the East Side of Manhattan, Western Queens and Roosevelt Island.
I’m running for Congress because my background has provided me with a unique perspective that allows me to empathize with and understand the challenges that New Yorkers face. And I’m running because, quite frankly, the system is broken – I think we all realized after President Obama was elected that change can’t stop at the White House. We have too many professional politicians at all levels who have forgotten who they represent and have become complacent in their advocacy for constituents. Special interests have literally hijacked Congress and our representatives are addicted to their contributions. Until we pass meaningful campaign finance reform, our representatives need to make the tough -– but correct -– choice and stop accepting special interest corporate PAC money. I have not accepted and will not accept a dime of corporate PAC money to fund my campaign.
So who am I? You can read my biography here, but I’ll try to sum it up in a couple of sentences. My own family’s search for success embodies that of many immigrants living in the 14th District. My parents were forced to flee Uganda by the brutal dictator Idi Amin in the 1970s. Ed Koch, who represented the same neighborhoods as today’s 14th District, was a strong advocate in Congress for providing Ugandan refugees with visas at the time. Without his work I would not be here today, and I believe that it says so much about this nation and what we stand for that I am now running to represent the same part of the city three decades later.
I grew up near Chicago and went to public schools before getting my MPP and JD in the late 1990’s. I then moved to New York in 2002 to work as an attorney by day and a community activist by night – volunteering to give legal assistance to immigrants in Queens who were being profiled after 9/11 and extensively organizing the South Asian community to register to vote and fundraise during John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign.
I also know that along with a strong will must come new, strong ideas. I am committed to reforming our immigration system (the 14th District is one of the most diverse in the nation, with 30 percent of the district born outside of the United States) and diversifying New York’s economy by fostering new industries (the 14th District is also too reliant on Wall Street). But I know people are sick of hearing the same old rhetoric instead of new ideas for implementing real reform. That’s why, as a candidate, I’ve actually drafted two pieces of “Congress-ready” legislation that address those two issues and could be introduced on the House floor tomorrow.
You can read the legislation here.
Another aspect of Washington I’d like to change is the concept of “constituent services.” Most congressional offices still use archaic methods to support their voters’ needs. I’m going to change that with “Constituency 2.0.” Click here to read my plan that would establish online office hours, neighborhood advisory boards, online request tracking and a greater utilization of social media.
I am also drafting legislation mandating that members of Congress put their personal investments in a blind trust. I recognize that it’s simply unacceptable for members of Congress to personally profit from BP or a big bank while they’re trying to regulate them.
All of my experiences have primed me for success in Washington, where I know more can be done to help New Yorkers. As I was deciding whether to launch my campaign, a friend summed it up best: “if you think you have better ideas, you should run for office. It's that simple.” I think it comes down to ideas, and right now, we need new ones. The status quo isn’t working – especially when our representatives are completely beholden to the special interests.
Reshma