Kesha Ram Hinsdale, the youngest Indian American to ever serve in state elected office, ended her Congressional bid Friday announcing plans to run for re-election to the Vermont State Senate from Chittenden Southeast District.
Ram Hinsdale, 35, daughter of Jewish mother and Hindu father, who made history in 2020 as the first woman of color elected to Vermont’s State Senate, would be supporting fellow Democrat Becca Balint’s bid for Congress. Earlier upon election to the State House in 2008, she became the youngest state legislator in the country.
The Vermont primary election is on Aug 9, and early voting begins on June 24.
“There is a far greater feeling than winning, and that is doing what is right. This moment calls on all of us to do what is best for our state and nation, and for me that means continuing to champion working people, climate action, and our civil rights here at home,” she stated.
“Given recent resignations across the Vermont legislature and our statewide offices, it’s becoming clear that there’s a need for experienced leadership to remain in Montpelier,” Ram Hinsdale said.
“I began serving in 2009 during the start of the Great Recession, have led through Tropical Storm Irene, and brought marginalized voices into the room as the first woman of color to serve in the State Senate. We have critical work to do on racial, social, and environmental justice, and we are still not out of this pandemic.”
“It was not an easy decision, but I have decided to run for re-election to the Vermont State Senate and endorse Becca Balint, a candidate whose values align with my own and who will be a fighter for Vermont in Washington,” she said.
“We built a coalition that was bigger than me, and so many Vermonters and national leaders stepped up to support my Congressional campaign and the principles I stand and fight for.
“I am so grateful to all of them and to Vermont for holding me through this decision. I can best serve Vermonters in this moment in the State Senate,” Ram Hinsdale continued. “That is what the moment calls for.”
“I got into this race because I believed Vermonters are looking for a fighting voice in Washington. What is clear to me is that they also need that support here at home,” she said. “Becca is the experienced, qualified, and sincere fighter Vermonters need to meet this moment. She will not go to Washington to engage in politics-as-usual.”
“She has conducted herself with so much integrity during this campaign – being open and vulnerable, and earning a broad base of support with her moral clarity,” Ram Hinsdale said.
“Kesha is an incredible public servant and a true champion for Vermonters. In an already historic race, she took an admirable step to ensure a woman goes to Washington whose values and experience can best serve Vermont and the nation at this time,” Becca Balint said.
“She and I both know the stakes are high, and there is critical work to do in Washington and here at home. Kesha has been and will continue to be a champion for working people in the State Senate, building on her decade in the legislature as the people’s advocate for labor, climate action, and civil rights,” Balint said.
“Kesha and I have been friends for a long time, and I am incredibly proud to have earned her support. Thank you, Senator Ram Hinsdale, for your friendship and your support.
“I am so excited that you will be returning to the Vermont Senate and to continue being a voice for working Vermonters. I look forward to partnering with you there to meet the needs of Vermont in these challenging times.”
Ram grew up in Los Angeles, California, where her parents ran an Irish pub. Sir Ganga Ram, her great-great-grandfather, was a supervising engineer in British India.
She graduated from Santa Monica High School in 2004. After graduating, she moved from California to Vermont to attend the University of Vermont.
She graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in natural resource planning and a Bachelor of Arts in political science. She was awarded a Truman Scholarship. While at the University of Vermont she served as student body president.
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