India Post News Service, September 12th, 2022
Rishi Kumar’s congressional run has gained massive traction recently with incumbent Anna Eshoo’s plummeting support. Rishi’s upstart run for Congress, beginning in March 2019, celebrated their recent primary election success in beating six formidable candidates and the upcoming November upset victory opportunity at a campaign rally last month.
On Sunday, August 28th, an otherwise innocuous Saratoga backyard became the staging ground for Rishi Kumar’s congressional campaign November 8th Victory 2022 launch – “the final 50 meters of a 1600 meter race.” Teeming with Red, White and Blue campaign signs and bedecked with posters featuring Rishi Kumar, the backyard welcomed enthusiastic supporters of Rishi. A banner announced – “Gasoline Pain? Time for Change.” Banners proclaiming “Your Interests, Never Special Interests” hung on the tennis court fence overlooking the swimming pool area. A mammoth American flag hung behind the designated speech area. The enthusiasm of the Rishi Kumar campaign team was on full display.
This rally marked a jubilant mood, coming as it was on the heels of optimistic new polling data. An unexpected 35% support statistic for Rep. Anna Eshoo was a stunning rejoinder to her increased attacks targeting Rishi. Much of the conversation at the rally focused on the downward spiral of the incumbent in the face of a relentless push by a capable challenger, “the first tech-savvy congressional leader from Silicon Valley to Washington.” Many supporters, elected leaders, valley CEOs, and CTOs mingled while Rishi bantered with his usual enthusiasm and light-hearted spirit that has become his trademark at the many town hall meetings and backyard meet & greets of prior months.
Prospects for the November election suggested that this rally may very well be followed by a victory party – a motif repeated throughout the evening. The event emcee was Dan Stegink, chair of the Northern Peninsula Democratic Club. He recalled his decision-making process of who to support in the House primary election, mentioning that he was approached by many other candidates for an endorsement. “And I just said, well, how are you going to beat Rishi Kumar? And they all just kinda looked at the ground. Rishi beat them all, not surprising given the infrastructure he had built, and the support teams.”
Many of the elected leaders who endorsed Rishi Kumar’s congressional bid were present and spoke. Liang-Fang Chao, vice mayor of Cupertino, emphasized her appreciation of Rishi’s people-oriented philosophy, citing the inspiration he had on her own political campaigns, observing that “The more he gets attacked, the more votes he will get.”
Stan Bogosian, former mayor of Saratoga, shared his personal experiences with the opioid crisis (referring to one of Eshoo’s most atrocious failures) and his belief that Rishi was clearly the candidate for all of America. “That’s the kind of person that I want representing me in Washington DC: somebody that is responsible and follows through,” explained Stan.
Amit Walia, CEO of Informatica highlighted Rishi’s qualifications and Eshoo’s flaws: “If you do the same thing you can’t expect a different result. For 30 years we’ve been doing the same thing, sending somebody to the office that is not bringing change”.
Michael Stogner of San Mateo County News, a self-professed apolitical victims advocate, included testimony about Eshoo allowing perjury to occur under her watch and doing nothing about it. “I personally know Anna Eshoo is dishonest,” he stated, brandishing the transcript of the offending congressional hearing.
When it was Rishi’s turn, he delivered one of the best political speeches of his career, brimming with authenticity, enthusiasm, and optimism about the path to victory and his priorities for Silicon Valley and America. He drew attention to his immigrant roots – “Arriving in this country with two suitcases for a graduate school education, an American dream. An improbable political journey that got us reelected with the most votes in 64 years of my city and has brought us within reach of the hallowed halls of Congress,” and launched into an impassioned speech regarding his platform, beliefs, and story.
He expounded upon the gravity of the situation, proclaiming that “the time is now, the burning challenges of Silicon Valley and America cannot wait.” Clearly, Rishi was ready to serve and deliver a tech-savvy leadership to Congress. Addressing the issue of corruption in Congress, he denounced the fact that the Washington system was unfair – “The rules that apply to us don’t apply to them! How can you turn a blind eye to congressional insider trading? We need term limits! We need to purge the dark, tainted money that is polluting American politics!” The most effective challenger to Eshoo in her electoral history who has spent $1.1 million already in this race, Rishi declared that this was the moment to “close the chapter on 1992”, affirming his chances for victory. “It is time for fresh blood. We have given her 30 years – but now it is time to pass the torch. We have held more face-to-face town hall meetings during this campaign than my opponent has had in 30 years. More of our town hall meetings are available on Youtube – easily accessible and available – than Eshoo has had in 30 years. Well – we even have more tweets than Eshoo!”
The speeches were followed by a Q&A session, where a diverse array of everyday voters and Rishi proponents participated. Rishi fielded questions about healthcare, crime, income tax, homelessness, and wealth inequality. As the political discussion abated, the evening opened up to leisure and dinner, enjoying slices of a Rishi Kumar lawn sign cake. A series of photos showcasing Rishi’s dedicated team of campaign directors and supporters finished off the evening. The gathering proved ultimately successful in channeling an invigorating slew of funds to the campaign effort. The welcome stimulus represented another step towards more effectively challenging the Super PAC-backed Eshoo. Rishi and his supporters departed with a cheerful disposition, the rally proving a resounding success, and the path to victory clearly ahead for Rishi and his supporters.
