Washington, Feb 10
Indian American community leader Ashok Baddi has announced his bid for the Michigan House of Representatives, saying he is running to bring what he calls practical, people-first leadership to a diverse suburban district north of Detroit.
“I am running for the portion of state representative from Michigan District 56,” Baddi told IANS in an interview.
Baddi, a longtime resident of Troy, said his decision was rooted in local ties. “I’ve been a resident of Troy for over a decade now. I’ve been working in the community, trying to help our community in various ways,” he said.
He pointed to the district’s growing diversity, noting that “almost 25 per cent of the population is of Indian origin,” with about 12,000 voters overall. “That is a very sizable number that can actually make or break an election,” he said.
Baddi said his motivation to seek office came from a belief that change requires political engagement. “It is only through political will that we can actually make change happen,” he said. “Once we are here, we are an American, as American as anybody else.”
He said he decided to run toward the end of last year after years of political involvement. Baddi said he was previously active in the Democratic Party, serving as “a core team member for several fundraisers for the governor of Michigan” and helping campaigns “right from council elections to school boards.”
Explaining his break from the Democrats, Baddi said his “core value system” aligns more closely with Republicans. He cited views on gender and school sports, saying, “I personally believe that there are two clear genders,” while also saying a third gender “should have a right to live with all freedom.”
Education is a central issue of his campaign. Baddi said he opposes efforts in Troy to eliminate honors programs. “I believe every child has a different learning capacity and capability, and it should remain so,” he said. “If they’re capable of learning, they should be allowed to do that.”
An immigrant from Hyderabad, Baddi came to the United States in 2005 with his wife, a pediatric nephrologist. He described years spent in rural America, living near farms in Georgia and Missouri. “We practically lived in about a 400-acre farmland,” he said, before later moving to Michigan.
On immigration, he said he favors legal pathways. “For me, getting into this country legally is a big yes,” he said, adding that the United States is “the only country in the world which has an open door policy.”
Baddi said he is challenging Democratic incumbent Sharon McDonald, whom he previously supported. “I feel she has not delivered much to the community,” he said, citing roads and education policy.
He acknowledged the financial hurdles of campaigning. “The dollar is the mother’s milk of politics in America,” Baddi said, urging greater political donations from the Indian American community.
Indian Americans have steadily increased their political footprint in the United States, with a growing number serving in Congress, state legislatures and local offices. Michigan, home to one of the largest Indian American populations in the Midwest, has seen increased civic engagement from the community in recent election cycles.
The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the state legislature, with members elected to two-year terms. The 56th District race is expected to draw attention in the Detroit suburbs, where education policy and demographic change have become central political issues.
