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Kannan Srinivasan, who became the first Indian American immigrant to be sworn-in as Virginia state delegate a year back; is now on the ballot for a crucial special election on January 7, Tuesday, for the state Senate seat vacated with Democratic State Senator Suhas Subramanyam’s election to the US Congress last November. A first generation immigrant from Chennai, who gave up a long and successful career in finance and business analytics for public life and service; the Democratic delegate is known for working across the aisle. Deeply engaged in local Democratic politics, last year Srinivasan successfully passed eight pieces of legislation through the House and Senate, nearly all with bipartisan support. From women’s reproductive rights to quality public education, issues that he will strongly advocate for if he becomes a state senator, to the recent racist rhetoric around the H-1B work permit visa; Srinivasan spoke to Ishani Duttagupta of the Times of India on a range of topics. Edited excerpts from the interview:
Q: You are contesting for the Virginia state Senate for the seat which became vacant after Suhas Subramanyam was elected to the US House of Representatives; while Congressman Subramanyam has endorsed you, J.J. Singh has been endorsed by you, for your current assembly seat. Do you increasingly see Indian Americans running for elections in high profile races in Virginia?
A: Absolutely, particularly in northern Virginia. Also, in Richmond, the new mayor Danny Avula is a good friend of mine. He’s Indian American, originally from Hyderabad, and the first immigrant to be elected mayor of Richmond. In Virginia, there is a lot of interest among the Asian and Indian American community to serve in administration and public offices and participate in electoral politics. I am the first Indian American delegate elected to the Virginia House, representing Loudoun, and I’m now running for the state Senate to replace Congressman Subramanyam. For my House seat of District 26, I have endorsed J.J. Singh, who won the Democratic Primary. We are both on the ballot on Tuesday for the special election to fill these two open seats.
Q: As a first generation immigrant from India what have been some of the highlights of your political journey?
A: I’m a chartered accountant and I came here to the US in 1992 to pursue higher education. My wife [Jayashree] and I are both from Chennai and we came for higher education like many Indians. I had a very successful private sector career in finance having worked for NEW Asurion Corporation and Chef José Andrés’ restaurant group. In my first job, I helped the company grow from a very small firm to Number 1, globally, in its field. Public service is a calling for us. My wife’s grandfather, Dr. V. Varadhachari, was the elected chairman of Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu in the 1950s & 1960s and did successful pioneering projects. He was also a physician 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 having learnt from our lived experiences of dealing with the immigration system and the healthcare system. As a young graduate student, I was hit by a truck in 1993, and my wife had to undergo a surgery; we were denied Medicaid coverage. We realised that serving in public office is the best way to give back and contribute. I have also served as chairman 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 showcase what we can do to improve society and provide good governance.
Q: Over the past few days, there has been an unprecedented spurt of racist attacks against Indian professionals in the US on the H-1B work permits – as an elected representative in government and an Indian American community leader – what is your perspective on this?
A: It is very unfortunate. I myself came to the US on an F-1 student visa and was then on an H-1B visa. I went on to a green card and then got citizenship. So I absolutely know the whole process because I have lived through it; and it is extremely unfortunate to hear the recent racist rhetoric. A calibrated improvement and checks and balances, in the H-1B visa process, needs to happen; but the value that this visa category has brought to this country and to companies here is immense. I was, in fact, the very first H-1B employee in my company; and after that they would have had thousands. So I know the process and the value it brings; even though I support checks and balances.
As a first generation immigrant myself, who came here for higher education, I know the pain that people are probably going through right now listening to the racist rhetoric. On the campaign trail, I have reached out to them as their ally, to pushback, and to make sure that we have a fair system. It should be fair not just to citizens but also to those that come and work here. That’s also very important for the companies and for the American economic ecosystem.
I would also like to highlight that one of the Bills that I worked very hard on; which got signed into law with bipartisan support in Virginia – the foreign medical graduates Bill. I co-sponsored and co-patroned the Bill which allows a medical graduate from any country, for instance an MBBS from India with five years’ experience, to take the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) and, if they agree to work for two years in rural Virginia, to get a temporary licence right away. And if they work for a total of four years, they will get a permanent licence without the required residency.
Q: What are the key issues of your current campaign as well as your earlier electoral campaigns?
A: I am a finance person always looking for good governance policies to help improve quality of life and reduce cost of living. I want to make sure that Virginians have access to high quality education. But if you ask me my top priority, it’s women’s reproductive right to choose, especially given the 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 a legislation on this. The third is education – that is what brought us here to the US and investing in education and promoting excellence is important. Both my parents were public school teachers in Chennai and I would like to make sure that our teachers receive top pay; that is important to retain top quality teachers in Loudoun and Virginia. Local issues like reducing cost of living have always been important for me. I have a strong background in private sector and economic growth; bringing new jobs to Virginia and making sure that our tax dollars are spent judiciously are top priority for me.
Q: Many of the laws that have been passed by you have received bipartisan support – how important do you think it will be for Democratic elected representatives, going forward, to work across the aisle, with a Republican President and Republican House and Senate majority?
A: I am known for a brand of politics that builds consensus that works across the aisle. I am known to be a work horse in the assembly and I passed eight Bills in the last session which were mostly bipartisan. I bring a brand of politics of getting things done; that’s my motto in Richmond and that’s what I’m planning and hoping to bring to the Senate. I want to bring people together and move legislation that benefits all Virginians. I always say that Loudoun is my home and Virginia is my district. So I’m looking for policies that help Virginians across the Commonwealth.
While my plan is to work bipartisan; 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 incoming new administration in Washington DC. This concerns a lot my constituents and community members and so it is very important to continue working across the aisle. It is important to establish the principles of helping every Virginian and making sure that we prioritise people’s health and invest in public education.
Q: Are Indian Americans part of your campaign team and are they supporting you in a big way?
A: Yes, I had many Indian American interns in my team last year and I have many right now. I have a lot of support from the community on all aspects – from fund raising to door knocking and supporting with friends. These districts are heavy in Asian population and the Indian American community is a big part of the Asian population. They are very supportive when they see someone like me, who came here like them and is literally one of them, get elected. Last year, on the day of my swearing-in on January 20 at the Virginia State Capitol, there was a snowstorm despite which over 100 people from the community came down to Richmond. This is a crucial election; we are working very hard to earn every vote. I am very committed to bring this to the finish line because we have three key constitutional amendments on the line.
Q: Are you strongly connected to your Indian roots?
A: Absolutely. I was at the Rajdhani temple for the New Year and I’m a regular at every Indian American event that you can think of. For the first time in the history of the Virginia assembly, I got Hindu priest from the Vedic Temple to come and do an invocation. He chanted from the Vedas and the Upanishads and translated the verses into English. Last year, I took my oath both on the Bhagavad Gita and Naalayira Divya Prabandham in Tamil. My wife and me are both from Chennai and ours is the Vaishnavite tradition. My wife wore a saree and I wore the traditional angavastram on top of my coat.
Q: You are contesting for the Virginia state Senate for the seat which became vacant after Suhas Subramanyam was elected to the US House of Representatives; while Congressman Subramanyam has endorsed you, J.J. Singh has been endorsed by you, for your current assembly seat. Do you increasingly see Indian Americans running for elections in high profile races in Virginia?
A: Absolutely, particularly in northern Virginia. Also, in Richmond, the new mayor Danny Avula is a good friend of mine. He’s Indian American, originally from Hyderabad, and the first immigrant to be elected mayor of Richmond. In Virginia, there is a lot of interest among the Asian and Indian American community to serve in administration and public offices and participate in electoral politics. I am the first Indian American delegate elected to the Virginia House, representing Loudoun, and I’m now running for the state Senate to replace Congressman Subramanyam. For my House seat of District 26, I have endorsed J.J. Singh, who won the Democratic Primary. We are both on the ballot on Tuesday for the special election to fill these two open seats.
Q: As a first generation immigrant from India what have been some of the highlights of your political journey?
A: I’m a chartered accountant and I came here to the US in 1992 to pursue higher education. My wife [Jayashree] and I are both from Chennai and we came for higher education like many Indians. I had a very successful private sector career in finance having worked for NEW Asurion Corporation and Chef José Andrés’ restaurant group. In my first job, I helped the company grow from a very small firm to Number 1, globally, in its field. Public service is a calling for us. My wife’s grandfather, Dr. V. Varadhachari, was the elected chairman of Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu in the 1950s & 1960s and did successful pioneering projects. He was also a physician 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 having learnt from our lived experiences of dealing with the immigration system and the healthcare system. As a young graduate student, I was hit by a truck in 1993, and my wife had to undergo a surgery; we were denied Medicaid coverage. We realised that serving in public office is the best way to give back and contribute. I have also served as chairman 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 showcase what we can do to improve society and provide good governance.
Q: Over the past few days, there has been an unprecedented spurt of racist attacks against Indian professionals in the US on the H-1B work permits – as an elected representative in government and an Indian American community leader – what is your perspective on this?
A: It is very unfortunate. I myself came to the US on an F-1 student visa and was then on an H-1B visa. I went on to a green card and then got citizenship. So I absolutely know the whole process because I have lived through it; and it is extremely unfortunate to hear the recent racist rhetoric. A calibrated improvement and checks and balances, in the H-1B visa process, needs to happen; but the value that this visa category has brought to this country and to companies here is immense. I was, in fact, the very first H-1B employee in my company; and after that they would have had thousands. So I know the process and the value it brings; even though I support checks and balances.
As a first generation immigrant myself, who came here for higher education, I know the pain that people are probably going through right now listening to the racist rhetoric. On the campaign trail, I have reached out to them as their ally, to pushback, and to make sure that we have a fair system. It should be fair not just to citizens but also to those that come and work here. That’s also very important for the companies and for the American economic ecosystem.
I would also like to highlight that one of the Bills that I worked very hard on; which got signed into law with bipartisan support in Virginia – the foreign medical graduates Bill. I co-sponsored and co-patroned the Bill which allows a medical graduate from any country, for instance an MBBS from India with five years’ experience, to take the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) and, if they agree to work for two years in rural Virginia, to get a temporary licence right away. And if they work for a total of four years, they will get a permanent licence without the required residency.
Q: What are the key issues of your current campaign as well as your earlier electoral campaigns?
A: I am a finance person always looking for good governance policies to help improve quality of life and reduce cost of living. I want to make sure that Virginians have access to high quality education. But if you ask me my top priority, it’s women’s reproductive right to choose, especially given the 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 a legislation on this. The third is education – that is what brought us here to the US and investing in education and promoting excellence is important. Both my parents were public school teachers in Chennai and I would like to make sure that our teachers receive top pay; that is important to retain top quality teachers in Loudoun and Virginia. Local issues like reducing cost of living have always been important for me. I have a strong background in private sector and economic growth; bringing new jobs to Virginia and making sure that our tax dollars are spent judiciously are top priority for me.
Q: Many of the laws that have been passed by you have received bipartisan support – how important do you think it will be for Democratic elected representatives, going forward, to work across the aisle, with a Republican President and Republican House and Senate majority?
A: I am known for a brand of politics that builds consensus that works across the aisle. I am known to be a work horse in the assembly and I passed eight Bills in the last session which were mostly bipartisan. I bring a brand of politics of getting things done; that’s my motto in Richmond and that’s what I’m planning and hoping to bring to the Senate. I want to bring people together and move legislation that benefits all Virginians. I always say that Loudoun is my home and Virginia is my district. So I’m looking for policies that help Virginians across the Commonwealth.
While my plan is to work bipartisan; 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 incoming new administration in Washington DC. This concerns a lot my constituents and community members and so it is very important to continue working across the aisle. It is important to establish the principles of helping every Virginian and making sure that we prioritise people’s health and invest in public education.
Q: Are Indian Americans part of your campaign team and are they supporting you in a big way?
A: Yes, I had many Indian American interns in my team last year and I have many right now. I have a lot of support from the community on all aspects – from fund raising to door knocking and supporting with friends. These districts are heavy in Asian population and the Indian American community is a big part of the Asian population. They are very supportive when they see someone like me, who came here like them and is literally one of them, get elected. Last year, on the day of my swearing-in on January 20 at the Virginia State Capitol, there was a snowstorm despite which over 100 people from the community came down to Richmond. This is a crucial election; we are working very hard to earn every vote. I am very committed to bring this to the finish line because we have three key constitutional amendments on the line.
Q: Are you strongly connected to your Indian roots?
A: Absolutely. I was at the Rajdhani temple for the New Year and I’m a regular at every Indian American event that you can think of. For the first time in the history of the Virginia assembly, I got Hindu priest from the Vedic Temple to come and do an invocation. He chanted from the Vedas and the Upanishads and translated the verses into English. Last year, I took my oath both on the Bhagavad Gita and Naalayira Divya Prabandham in Tamil. My wife and me are both from Chennai and ours is the Vaishnavite tradition. My wife wore a saree and I wore the traditional angavastram on top of my coat.
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