Daijiworld Media Network - New York
New York, Sep 27: Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has left open the possibility of running for the US presidency in 2028, saying the decision would involve his family while indicating that he intends to remain active in the debate over America's future.
Asked by former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd whether he was considering a presidential run, Khanna said around 20 Democrats were weighing the possibility, with perhaps 10 to 12 eventually entering the race.
“It’s a family decision,” Khanna said during a discussion with Rudd at the Asia Society. “Whether I decide to run or support someone who runs, I’m gonna be very involved in the conversation.”
Khanna said a national presidential campaign would be difficult, particularly in a crowded field where most candidates would ultimately lose.
He described the 2028 election as a debate over whether the US would embrace its diverse society or adopt a more inward-looking approach.
“I certainly wanna be part of that conversation,” he said.
Khanna said Democrats would need an economic programme capable of reaching communities that had lost industrial jobs. According to him, voters needed to see a viable future for themselves and their children before broader appeals to national ideals could resonate.
He linked the issue to immigration, saying politicians had blamed immigrants for factory closures and failed economic policies. He argued that a stronger response would be to bring investment and jobs to communities that felt left behind by the gains of the new economy.
Khanna also spoke about the Indian roots of his political outlook. He said his grandfather was jailed by the British in the 1930s and 1940s for participating in Mahatma Gandhi's independence movement. That family history, he said, gave him an early understanding of how politics could change people's lives.
Born in Philadelphia to parents who had immigrated from India, Khanna recalled that while studying in Chicago he went door-to-door campaigning for a state Senate candidate who later became President Barack Obama.
Khanna said he tells young people who ask how they can work for a future president to identify someone at their school who could reach the White House 15 years later and campaign for that person.
Much of his discussion with Rudd focused on the kind of country the next US president should lead. Khanna called for economic opportunities across the country, a greater role for workers in decisions involving artificial intelligence and a foreign policy aimed at rebuilding trust with other nations.
He said America's strength was partly rooted in its ability to bring together people from different backgrounds and histories. At the same time, he argued that defending the idea of a diverse democracy required addressing the economic insecurity experienced by communities that had lost their industrial base.
Khanna represents a California congressional district that includes part of Silicon Valley. His remarks came during a wider discussion covering technology, US-China relations, immigration and the future direction of American foreign policy.
The next US presidential election is scheduled for November 2028.