Washington, 4 Apr

Tamil Nadu-born Rini Sampath has become the first South Asian candidate to be on the ballot for the primary for the election for the mayor of Washington DC.

The 31-year-old government contractor from the Democratic Party has based her election campaign on the theme ‘Fix the Basics’ and the promise of “A new DC”.

“I’m not a politician. I don’t owe any special interest groups. It’s time for an outsider who is relentlessly focused on fixing our basic city services,” Samapth says on her campaign website.

Born in Theni in Tamil Nadu, she came to the US as a seven-year-old and has been a resident of Washington DC for more than a decade.

“It’s clear we have a real path to victory. In just four weeks, we made the mayoral ballot as the first South Asian candidate in DC history to do it. That’s what a lean, people-powered campaign can accomplish. Imagine what we could do with the resources to reach every voter across the city,” she said.

Washington DC is dominated overwhelmingly by Democrats, and the city has never had a Republican mayor since the elections to the post began in 1975. Before that, the city was administered by a Board of Commissioners appointed by the US president.

The District of Columbia is administered by a popularly elected mayor and a 13-member district council.

“As Mayor of DC, my priority will be to make sure our city lives up to its basic commitments to our residents. Fill the potholes. Stop the catastrophic wastewater spill in the Potomac. Lower prices. Improve 911 wait times,” Sampath said.

The primary is scheduled for 16 June, while the general election will be held on 3 November.

Others in the mayoral race are Janeese Lewis George, Kenyan McDuffie, Gary Goodweather, Robert L Gross and Rhonda Hamilton.