SUHAS SUBRAMANYAM: You know, as a state senator, Subramanyam I took on really tough fights, especially on things like rising costs, like the cost of tolls here, prescription drugs, and I won them.

And in Congress, I want to do that as well.

And the way I won them is that I worked across the aisle in a bipartisan way to just get things done.

And so that's missing right now in Congress.

Congress is dysfunctional.

It can't even pass budgets.

And I want to be someone who actually unites people rather than divides people.

And so I'm hoping that if I go to Congress, I'll be someone who just takes on the tough fights for our community and wins them like I did in the state Senate.

And I know in Northern Virginia, in our community right now, it's really expensive to live here.

A lot of the people who work here like teachers and firefighters, I can't afford to actually live in the community where they serve us so well.

And so I want to make sure we continue to address rising costs, and that we continue to make sure we have access to jobs and protect middle class families.

That's what I'm going to do when I'm in Congress.

I'm going to bring up another issue, which is the cost of college.

Working with our community colleges, working on career and technical education programs to try to make sure we're preparing our students today for the jobs of the future.

Because the jobs of the future are going to be much more skill based.

They're going to be much more about being nimble when it comes to your career and your, what you are providing.

And so I think that we're going to have to change the way we educate students and really to change the way we train and, and work, if we're going to be prepared for the, the economy of the future, which I think is, coming very soon, if not if it's not already here.

Yeah, you know Ive always had a bipartisan mindset.

Growing up, my dad was a Republican.

My mom was a Democrat.

So I'm the product of bipartisanship.

Right?

So, I know that how important it is, but it's not just about, you know, it being a talking point.

It's the way to get things done, really.

And sometimes if you've got especially if you have a majority in every chamber, you can try to do things without the other party.

But then when the other party gets elected, they're just going to try to roll it back.

And so, we have to try to work together and, unite us in these politics.

I see right now, just more divides than I've ever seen.

Neighbors not talking to each other.

Friends not being friends anymore.

Over, some of the divides in our politics and some people in politics, especially in Congress, are benefiting from those divisions.

And so I'd like to be someone who comes in and tries to unite people, reject the politics of divisiveness and move this country forward.

I was the first Asian-American ever elected in Virginias history.

But to me it didnt mean, anything at the time, really.

But then I realized how much it meant to the people, especially South Asian folks in our community and around the state.

And so I've learned that, it does matter, and it does make a difference, because I've started seeing, more people in the South Asian community across the state, especially, start getting more involved and engaged.

And they cite me as a reason.

Its because, you know, they saw that I did it and so they felt like they could do it, too.

And so I do take that very seriously.

And I, I think it's, one, exciting and it's, fun, but two, when I get elected, I feel certainly a responsibility to govern well and make them proud, because I know that, they feel like I'm a reflection of their community.

And so I'm going to take that very seriously.

My girls are two and four.

They go to preschool here in Leesburg, and, they have a school with bulletproof doors and windows and armed security during the day.

I just see so many families, who are scared of what could happen to their kid at school and what could happen in a public place.

And so, I don't want people to live in fear.

And so we just want common sense, evidence-based things.

If someone in a rural area wants to protect themselves because the police cant get out there fast enough, they should be able to own a gun.

But at the same time, we don't want people who are going to be a harm to themselves or others to be easily, able to get a gun.

The last two leaders in this district were women who really cared about, reproductive freedom and, really wanted to make sure, you know, regardless of even your religious affiliation, that women have some form of bodily autonomy and access to health care.

They also want to make sure we protect our democracy.

And Trump is an existential threat to democracy today.

I think that's what a lot of people in our community are feeling, and a lot of people like them, Democrats and Republicans are feeling, too.

And so this election is is about democracy, about, Project 2025 and the damage it would do to our community here in Northern Virginia with a lot of federal workers.

And it's also about just making sure, you know, women have, reproductive freedom in America.

And so there's a lot on the line.

So our race here in the 10th Congressional District is really about Project 2025, because my opponent is a member of the Heritage Foundation, which wrote that document.

And, I'm someone who's been a champion of federal workers.

And so the question is, do you want to fire federal civil servants all over Northern Virginia and have to deal with the economic consequences?

You know, some people like my opponent and like, even our governor, think it wouldn't be a big deal if we fired federal contractors and federal workers all over our community.

I think it'd be a huge deal.

Because I've worked, I worked in the white House under President Obama, and I saw the value of federal civil servants and continuing government.

Even in the transition from Obama to Trump, there were a lot of, Democrats who, you know, were very upset about the results of the election, but, they knew that government had to continue.

And the federal civil servants were there to provide that continuity and that expertise from being in government many years.

And so I really think that we have to protect our federal civil servants and federal workers in Northern Virginia.

And and they're a huge part of our economy, to make sure we protect our economy.

My opponent would essentially be trying to enact some of those policies that, you know, even Donald Trump has said are a little bit too extreme.

In the end, this election is about what message we want to send to our kids, to our country as well as to the world.

Because if we reelect Donald Trump, if we elect pretty far right, candidates like my opponent, we end up being in a situation where we're undermining our own democracy, I think.

And, what does that say to democracies around the world which are facing similar threats and similar challenges, like the challenge of misinformation or the challenge of, people trying to undermine the democratic process?

So I think this is a really important election as far as the message we're going to send as a country to the rest of the world and to other democracies.

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