Washington: Indian-American software engineer Ashwin Ramaswami has announced his run as a Democrat from the US state of Georgia, seeking to represent Senate District 48. If elected, Ramaswami will become the first Indian-American in the Georgia state Senate, first Gen Z member, and the only state senator with a computer science and a law degree.

“I’m excited to announce my campaign for GA State Senate District 48! I am committed to bringing inclusive, informed, and forward-thinking leadership to our State Senate,” Ramaswami posted on X announcing his run. “I have worked to make positive change in my community through nonprofits, religious communities, technology startups, and law and policy... It’s time for me to pay it forward and help advocate for the futures of young people -- and everyone -- in our community,” his campaign statement read.

Ramaswami will be fighting to lower costs for all families, increase economic and business opportunity, expand healthcare access, and preserve, protect, and defend democratic institutions for Georgians. His announcement follows the indictment of the incumbent Republican State Senator, Shawn Still, for attempting to overturn the 2020 election results.

“I am running in the Democratic party, against an incumbent who got indicted for trying to overturn the 2020 election results. It is important to have people in public office with integrity and who serve the community first,” the second-generation immigrant said on X. According to his campaign website, Ramaswami has over seven years of experience working to build tech startups, and has worked in the federal government on cybersecurity for three years.

He established and managed a cybersecurity program for state and local election officials while at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), supporting election security efforts for both the 2020 and 2022 elections. He worked with states across the country, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office, to flag and fix election security problems.

A devout Hindu, Ramaswami began teaching classes at Chinmaya Mission for middle and high schoolers about Hindu philosophy and culture, including the Bhagavad Gita. At Georgetown, he founded the Dharmic Law Student Organization (programs for Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and Jain students) and helped raise $100,000 to establish an endowment.

Currently, he runs a consulting company around software architecture, technology law & policy, and has attended Georgia Tech, Stanford University, and Georgetown University Law Center.