New York State Senate candidate Sarmad Khojasteh (R) today officially launched his website www.sarmad4ny.com and social media accounts, further raising awareness about his candidacy, and to introduce himself to voters, outline policy positions, and raise money in preparation for the upcoming Special Election for the 37th District Senate Seat.
Sarmad, an attorney and a first-time candidate, and his wife, Anjella, live in Bedford, where they are raising their two young children, Aubtin and Yara. He is the only Republican who has formally declared his intention to run, and he has been barnstorming the district, meeting Republican leaders, voters and raising the resources needed to win what is expected to be a hotly-contested race.
The seat will be officially vacated on January 1, 2018. Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to name a date for a Special Election shortly after that time, likely in the spring.
Sarmad was born in Iran in 1981, and his family emigrated to the United States in 1982 after the Islamic Revolution and during the Iran-Iraq War.
As an immigrant whose family benefitted from the refuge and opportunity that the United States offers so many, Sarmad always has felt compelled to serve his country. And, while the current state of political discourse has driven many very qualified and hard-working Americans away from public service and political engagement, for Sarmad, it has raised the stakes.
“Today, too many New Yorkers are being closed out of the American Dream because they simply can’t make ends meet, much less create a foundation for financial security that they can build on to get ahead,” Sarmad said. “They are working harder than ever before, but have less and less to show for it.”
“Unfortunately, many of our elected officials seem intent on proposing legislation as a form of protest, or to win political points in a game of partisan ping pong, rather than listening to their constituents and coming up with ideas that would help to solve real problems for the people they serve,” Sarmad continued.
“I am running to represent the 37th New York State Senate District because I believe that by replacing career politicians with independent-minded, practical problem solvers in Albany we can put the American Dream back within reach of all New Yorkers,” Sarmad said.
The Khojasteh family settled in Poughkeepsie in 1983, where Sarmad’s father worked as a polymer chemist for IBM and his mother worked as commercial layout designer. They also ran a small business in Peekskill for twenty-five years.
Educated in local public schools, Sarmad graduated from Colgate University (B.A. cum laude) and went on to earn his J.D. at the University of Chicago Law School where he was a member of the University of Chicago Law Review. He is currently a commercial litigator and partner at Kasowitz Benson Torres, LLP.
“Our campaign for Senate will be focused on making New York a great place to raise a family, start a business, and, ultimately, retire – for all New Yorkers,” Sarmad said. “We will be running to promote policies that help hard-working New Yorkers achieve financial security and upward mobility, with a focus on education reform, home affordability, and small business entrepreneurship.”
“This is about helping the dishwasher become the restaurant owner, the mechanic one day own the auto body shop, and the carpenter become the contractor. After all, if government is to do anything, it must position folks to seize upon their God-given potential, not restrain them from doing so,” Sarmad said.
For more information about Sarmad’s candidacy, to sign up to volunteer or otherwise support the campaign, please visit www.sarmad4ny.com and follow him @sarmad4ny on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
