28-Year-Old Indian American Campaigns for Congressional Seat

Shrina Kunari will campaign against Ken Calvert, an incumbent of 9 years in the November 2022 midterm elections.

A first generation American, Shrina Kunari is an entrepreneur and an engineer. She aims to be a problem solver and not a politician. 

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Shrina Kumari)

Shrina Kunari, an Indian American engineer and entrepreneur on Thursda, 22 July announced her candidature for the US Congress from the 42nd Congressional District In California.

Kunari took to YouTube to share the announcement and to garner support for her campaign. A resident of Riverside, born to immigrant parents, she shared how working hard was not enough due to the lack of opportunities. She blamed Republican Ken Calvert for "voting against" the people of the district.

"As a first-generation American, my family worked together to build a successful pool supply business right here in Riverside. My parents didn't take a single day off for 10 years, but even that level of hustle is often not enough these days. Opportunities are out of reach for far too many people while career Washington politicians like Ken Calvert are focused on helping themselves, their political parties, and their corporate donors,“ said Kunari.

Kunari will be running against Calvert, an incumbent in the mid-term elections in November 2022. Calvert has represented the 42nd District in the House of Representatives since 2013.

Kunari identifies as a Democrat and not a politician but a "fact-based problem solver".

Shrina Kunari completed her engineering degree from the University of California, Riverside and then went on to get a masters degree in sustainable science from Lund University.

Kunari started her career as a Mechanical Engineer for NASA and currently is the Vice President Business of Republic, a Capital Markets firm in New York. She had been on the board of New leaders Council for two years and an Engineering consultant for Energy Efficiency at Sempra Energy for over a year. She founded FoodNest, a startup based in Berlin to facilitate supply chain transparency.

I've spent my career building businesses that reduce waste and create quality jobs. I'm running for Congress to make things work better in Washington and build an Inland Empire where people feel safe, healthy, and have opportunities to succeed in fulfilling jobs

Shrina Kunari on her YouTube video announcing her candidature.