Kishan Putta is D.C’s First Asian American Candidate for Citywide Office

By Anita Kinney “It’s a great time to be an Asian American in the District of Columbia,” Kishan Putta says. The Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) member spoke about his ambition to become the first Asian-American to hold a city-wide office in D.C., an achievement that he says would be a “historic first.” Putta is campaigning full-time for an at-large seat on the D.C. city council after serving part-time as the Dupont Circle neighborhood’s ANC representative since 2012. A former reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Putta moved to the District in 2003 to follow his interest in politics as a health policy correspondent for Inside Washington. Putta realized quickly that he wanted to do more than just report on health, and transitioned into a career where he could have a direct impact on healthcare policy and reform. For the past decade, Putta has worked in the private and public sector, including a stint on a Senate policy committee. Most recently, he accepted a position as an enrollment consultant with the D.C. government to help implement President Obama’s healthcare law. Over 50,000 people have registered for health insurance using DC Health Link, D.C.’s online insurance marketplace. He’s quick to point out that healthcare issues directly impact the Asian American community. “The APA community is disproportionately susceptible to chronic disease, like diabetes and other disorders. I care a lot about addressing these issues and I have a strong background to help support that work,” he said. Putta has been active in political advocacy within the Asian American community even before running for office. During the 2008 presidential election, Putta worked with Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) Vote, a national organization that works to mobilize Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in electoral and civic participation. APIA Vote organized the only Asian American-affiliated candidate forum between presidential candidates Obama and McCain, where candidates answered questions of interest to the broader Asian/Pacific Islander community. Putta says that the experience of running a city-wide campaign with DC Health Link inspired him to aim for an office with a broader platform, and points to his work as a volunteer ANC member as proof that he can move forward initiatives that will improve D.C. “After I was elected in 2012 as a neighborhood commissioner for Dupont Circle, I got a lot of things done,” Putta says. Commissioner positions are unpaid, which means that Putta worked on projects without a dedicated staff, working, he says, “from home, diligently, in my spare time.” Putta’s main concern is appropriate planning for a booming District. “Fundamentally, the city is growing really fast. It’s good that people want to move here, but if we don’t plan appropriately, it’s going to put way too much pressure on our existing services and residents.” He points to healthcare as an example of a area where the city fundamentally lacks infrastructure: “We’ve enrolled all these people in health insurance, but now they need to see the doctor.” Putta hopes to kill two birds with one stone, by addressing healthcare disparities and high unemployment by expanding healthcare job training programs for D.C. residents. He’s also concerned about transportation infrastructure, and sees dedicated bus lanes as a potential solution to Metro overcrowding and traffic congestion. As a commissioner, Putta’s successes have been almost hyper-local. Past initiatives have focused on improving the quality of life for D.C. residents on a local level. Putta was involved in the rehabilitation and redesign of Stead Park, which has gone from an underused public space to a bustling neighborhood hotspot. He also launched a campaign to have the District Department of Transportation perform overdue maintenance on a high-traffic bike lane. Putta emphasizes that his professional experience running a campaign for the D.C. government has prepared him to make the leap from these Dupont Circle issues to a position with greater influence. He’s collected a few endorsements, most notably from Vivek Murthy, President Obama’s nominee for surgeon general (and one of Putta’s Harvard classmates). Putta is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and describes himself as a “smart policy wonk” with the ability to “get things done.” “[My wife and I are] very happy living in the district. We’ve been happy to see the city diversify and the Asian American community growing. It’s a great time to be an Asian American in the District of Columbia, and I think it’s high time that our national’s capital have an elected official of Asian American background.”