Ro Khanna

Politician

American Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Quick Info

ProfessionPolitician
NationalityAmerican
Date of Birth13/09/1976
Age49 years
BirthplacePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

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Bio/Wiki

Birth NameRohit Khanna
Other NameRep. Ro Khanna
Known For
  • Being an Indian-American U.S. Congressman representing California's 17th Congressional District
  • Progressive voice advocating for American manufacturing and technology leadership

Physical Stats & More

Height5' 10" (178 cm)
Eye ColorLight Brown
Hair ColorSalt and Pepper

Educational Qualification(s)

SchoolCouncil Rock High School Newtown (1994)
College/University
  • University of Chicago, Illinois
  • Yale Law School, Connecticut
Degrees
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree with honors in Economics from the University of Chicago (1998)
  • Juris Doctor (JD) from Yale Law School (2001)

Personal Life

ReligionHinduism
Hobbies
  • Reading
  • Writing

Relationships & More

Marital StatusMarried
Marriage Date29/08/2015

Family

FatherChemical Engineer (graduated from Indian Institute of Technology and University of Michigan)
MotherSchool Teacher
Siblings
SpouseRitu Khanna (née Ahuja)
Children
  • Son - Soren
  • Daughter - Zara
Maternal GrandfatherAmarnath Vidyalankar (participated in Gandhi's independence movement)
Father-in-lawMonte Ahuja (founder of Transtar, an automotive transmission parts supply company)

Career

Political PartyDemocratic Party
Political Journey
  • 2004: Joined Democratic party and first ran for U.S. House of Representatives (unsuccessful)
  • 2009-2011: Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce under Barack Obama
  • 2012: Appointed to California Workforce Investment Board by Gov. Jerry Brown
  • 2014: Ran for Congress (lost)
  • 2016: Elected as U.S. Representative for California’s 17th district
  • Re-elected in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024
Notable Achievements
  • Co-founded the NO Political Action Committees (PAC) Caucus in the House to refuse PAC money and reduce corporate influence
  • Authored the Valor Act, signed into law in 2017, to facilitate apprenticeship opportunities for veterans
  • Drafted an Internet Bill of Rights in response to data-privacy scandals in 2018
  • Led campaigns advocating for gender-inclusive identifiers on US passports and for better standards for fast food workers
  • Authored the Endless Frontier Act, which formed the basis for the CHIPS and Science Act signed into law by President Biden
  • As Chair of the House Oversight and Reform Environmental Subcommittee, convened CEOs of six major fossil fuel companies to testify under oath about climate disinformation for the first time in history
  • Played a key role in ensuring climate provisions remained in the Inflation Reduction Act
  • Serves as vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, ranking member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems, and member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party
Prior Experience
  • Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Stanford University
  • Adjunct Professor at Santa Clara Law School
  • Federal appeals judge clerk for Morris S. Arnold
  • Board of Directors member of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte
  • Pro bono legal aid provider to Mississippi Center for Justice

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Ro Khanna was born and raised in an Indian immigrant family.
2. His maternal grandfather was a significant figure in the Indian independence movement.
3. His journey into activism began in ninth grade while writing about the Gulf War.
4. He was involved in Barack Obama's first campaign for the Illinois Senate in 1996.
5. Khanna interned for notable figures such as Al Gore and Jimmy Carter during his academic career.
6. He endorsed Bernie Sanders for the presidency in 2016 and co-chaired the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign.
7. He identifies as a progressive capitalist.
8. His parents immigrated to the United States from Punjab, India in the 1970s in search of opportunity and a better life for their children.
Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
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