iNDICA News Bureau-
Arvind Venkat, an emergency room physician of Indian origin and resident of McCandless town, has announced that he will run for election to Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives, the lower house of the state’s bicameral General Assembly.
Dr. Venkat, a Democrat, will contest the 30th Pennsylvania house district. If elected, he will be the only physician in the General Assembly and the only state representative of South Asian descent.
Dr. Venkat had first announced in February his intention to run for election with the launch of his campaign website, www.venkatforpa.com, and social media pages.
Last month, he qualified for the ballot by submitting hundreds of signatures from across the district after knocking on more than 2,000 doors.
He has also been endorsed by U.S. Congressman Conor Lamb (PA-17), state Senator Lindsey Williams (SD-38), and state representatives Austin Davis (HD-35), who is a candidate for state lieutenant governor, Rob Matzie (HD-16), Nick Pisciottano (HD-38) and Dan Miller (HD-42), besides several councilmembers of towns in District 30.
Dr. Venkat came to the U.S. as a baby with his parents who settled in Michigan where they worked hard to build a bright future for him and his brother.
Growing up in a tightly-knit South Asian community, the young Arvind had role models who instilled in him the centrality of family, the nobility of service, and the importance of community.
“I became an ER doc because I knew I would be caring for any patient that walked through the door at any time, no questions asked,” he said.
“There is no such thing as a Democratic or Republican heart attack,” he remarked. “I’m running for the state House because we need leaders in Harrisburg who can put aside partisan differences and deal with the crises at hand.
“In Harrisburg, I will fight to bring resources back to our communities to improve local infrastructure, bolster strained public services, and ensure that health care is affordable and accessible for all Pennsylvanians.”
Dr. Venkat is an attending emergency physician with the Allegheny Health Network where he serves as core faculty in the emergency residency program at Allegheny General Hospital and system chair of clinical ethics.
A former president of the Pennsylvania College of Emergency Physicians, he serves on the board of the McCandless-Franklin Park Ambulance Authority and is a consultant to the Western Pennsylvania Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training Collaborative.
He has been a resident of McCandless, where he lives with his wife and three children, for the past 15 years.
District 30, a newly drawn electoral district with no incumbent representative, includes all of Ben Avon, Ben Avon Heights, Emsworth, Franklin Park, Kilbuck TWP, McCandless, Ohio TWP, and part of Hampton TWP.
