(Image source from: www.americanbazaaronline.com)

Indian American Impact Fund, a political action committee that endorses Indian Americans candidates, has announced its first endorsement for the year 2019.

Starting off election season for the new year, the Impact Fund endorsed Raj Shukla for Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin.

Shukla runs a statewide water policy agency and also chairs the Sustainable Madison Committee, which plans to make Madison, the first city in Wisconsin to use 100 percent renewable energy. He has been working in the community and economic development and has been instrumental in attracting both private investment and job in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Wisconsin.

The endorsement, announced in a press statement, is especially noteworthy, given the progressive involvement of Indian Americans in the political process as one saw in 2018. The community and political observers are keenly engaged to see the role the increasing participation of Indian Americans in political offices may bring in the country.

Talking about the endorsement, Deepak Raj, co-founder of Impact and chair of the Impact Fund says, "We are proud to kick off the 2019 election season by endorsing Raj Shukla for Mayor."

He added, "(Shukla) is a strong, experienced, and visionary leader who will be a terrific mayor - and when elected, we believe he will be the first Indian American mayor of one of America’s 100 largest cities."

Cheerful about his chances, Shukla said: "I am proud to have earned the support of the Indian American Impact Fund. The values I learned from our community have shaped my life and this campaign." He added, "We will create a more equitable, sustainable, vibrant Madison by embracing the simple idea that ties Indian Americans together: shared dreams can overcome any differences."

-Sowmya sangam