Sarahana Shrestha | |
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Member of the New York State Assembly from the 103rd district | |
Assumed office January 1, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Kevin Cahill |
Personal details | |
Born | Sarahana Shrestha March 5,1981 [1] Kathmandu,Nepal |
Political party | Democratic |
Other political affiliations | Democratic Socialists of America Working Families Party |
Education | New York Institute of Technology (BS) |
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Sarahana Shrestha (born March 5,1981) is a Nepalese-American democratic socialist politician and activist. She is a member of the New York State Assembly,representing the New York's 103rd State Assembly district in the mid-Hudson Valley. [2] She was first elected in November 2022.
Shrestha was born in Kathmandu,Nepal,and moved to the United States in 2001 to study computer science at the New York Institute of Technology. [3] She became an American citizen in 2019. [4] She became interested in socialist politics as a college student. [5]
Shrestha is affiliated with Public Power NY,a coalition of clean energy advocacy organizations. [6] She has also worked as a graphic designer and is the co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America's Ulster County chapter. [7] Shrestha focused her campaign on climate and renewable energy policy. [8] [9]
In 2021,she and her husband worked on Phil Erner's campaign for the Ulster County legislature. [10]
In 2022,Shrestha announced she would run against incumbent state assemblymember Kevin Cahill. She was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America,Working Families Party,and U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. [11] Shrestha was elected in November 2022 and assumed office on January 1,2023. [12] [13]
In 2024,she was challenged by Gabi Madden,a former staffer of state senator James Skoufis who was endorsed by him and Kingston mayor Steve Noble. [10] She handily defeated Madden in the Democratic primary election. [1]
Shrestha advocates for turning the Central Hudson Gas &Electric Corp. into the Hudson Valley Power Authority,a public utility company. [10]