Who is Rejani Raveendran, Indian-born college student & first Republican to challenge Democrat for Senate

Rejani Raveendran, an Indian-born college student, announced her bid for senate in the United States state of Wisconsin, becoming the first Republican to officially contest against Democrat senator Tammy Baldwin.

The 40-year-old contender on Tuesday officially launched her bid against the 61-year-old Baldwin in Portage County.

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Raveendran announcing her bidsaid, "I have met lots of politicians, lobbyists, and policymakers. Many of them were there for 20, 30 and 40 years. We elect them, send them and they become so comfortable in DC and forget all about us, why we (have) sent them there."

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the announcement makes Raveendran the first Republican Senate candidate in Wisconsin with just under a year to go until the primary. No doubt, her entry adds a new face to the race.

Rejani who chairs the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College Republicans joined the college this year and said she decided to run for the Senate after her trip to Washington DC earlier this year.

She said, "I realised how much DC is (dominated) by these polished politicians. I realised there is a need for a change in our political system. We need some new faces with new ideas."

Rejani Raveendran: Early life

The mother of three has not yet been involved in any politics till now. She plans to graduate with a bachelor's in political science.

According to PTI, she immigrated to the United States in 2011, where she was a nurse and midwife. She lived in California and later moved to Wisconsin in 2017.

This means that she had been a citizen of the US for 9 years in 2024, the minimum number of years required to be a Senator.

This is what Rejani promised

Rejani in her bid said, "I'm a regular person who knows the situations in regular people's lives."

For her campaign, shesaid she'll focus on securing the border and cracking down on illicit drugs, stopping their illegal immigration and will advocate for medical freedom, suggesting her stand against the vaccine mandates. She had been supporting former US president Donald Trump since 2016.

(With inputs from agencies)

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