Suraj Patel

[{"question": "Ballotpedia survey responses", "answer_html": "<p>See also: <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a></p>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Suraj Patel completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Patel's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-113679-2022-07-26\" id=\"heading-bio-113679-2022-07-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-113679-2022-07-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-113679-2022-07-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-113679-2022-07-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-113679-2022-07-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI am an attorney, small business leader, and NYU lecturer on business ethics who proudly worked for President Obama. In 2020, I challenged Carolyn Maloney and came within 3 points of victory. Over 100,000 New Yorkers voted in the 2020 Democratic primary election.\r\n<p>When my parents emigrated from India in the late 1960s in search of economic opportunity, three generations of our family lived in a two-bedroom apartment over the bodega we ran. I grew up bussing tables, filling vending machines, doing motel laundry, and helping out on construction sites. Together as a family, we lived the American Dream, something that's nearly far too difficult today.\r\n</p><p>I’m running for Congress because Democrats need a new generation of leaders - practical and progressive leaders who can deliver new energy and fresh ideas on how to get things done. Leaders who are always on the side of democracy, not just when it’s politically advantageous. \r\n</p>\n1990s politicians have lost nearly every major battle to Mitch McConnell - on abortion rights, gun reform, climate action, and our democracy. It’s time for a new approach. New fighters for a new decade. New messengers to make a better case for our values.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-113679-2022-07-26\" id=\"heading-key-message-113679-2022-07-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-113679-2022-07-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-113679-2022-07-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-113679-2022-07-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-113679-2022-07-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>1990s politicians have lost every major battle to Mitch McConnell - from climate action to guns and abortion. Rather than taking on these fights, the incumbents have been busy taking millions in Corporate PAC money and gerrymandering their own districts to maintain their power. To win our country back, we need new messengers to make a new case for our values.</li><li>The political culture of 'No' in Washington has led to a crisis of livability. I’m ready to say ‘yes’ to progress on issues like housing, infrastructure, and childcare.</li><li>I’m the only candidate in this race with comprehensive plans and the experience to make our streets safer, lower costs of living, and win back our fundamental rights.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-113679-2022-07-26\" id=\"heading1-113679-2022-07-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-113679-2022-07-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-113679-2022-07-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-113679-2022-07-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-113679-2022-07-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThe Economy: Drive down inflation and bring down the cost of living by investing in a public option for childcare, lowering drug prices, and building more public universities, housing, and healthcare. Ensure infrastructure projects are completed on time and taxpayer dollars are being well-spent. Spur breakthrough innovations and discoveries with a space-race-scale mobilization of science and public R&amp;D to solve big problems.<br/><br/>\n<p>Democracy reform: Get big money out of politics, ban gerrymandering, abolish the electoral college, expand voting rights, abolish the filibuster.<br/><br/>\r\nClimate change: Deploy a multipronged strategy to decarbonize and reach net-zero by 2035 including a clean energy moonshot to make fossil fuels economically unviable over the next decade, fund a Green Infrastructure Bank, and a Blue New Deal to save our oceans + wetlands. <br/><br/>\r\nAbortion and Civil rights: Codify abortion, gay marriage, contraception, and interracial marriage into federal law; expand the Supreme Court and installl term limits for Supreme Court Justices; increase Title X funding; and pass the Equal Rights Ammendment. Expand access to medication abortion and open up abortion clinics on federal land. <br/><br/>\n</p>\nPublic Safety: Focus policing on solving violent crimes; rebuild trust between communities of color and the police; pass The VICTIM Act to help law enforcement solve gun crimes; invest in place-based, non-police interventions like street lights and street plazas; address the root causes of crime.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>", "answer_text": "See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection\n\nSuraj Patel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Patel's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. I am an attorney, small business leader, and NYU lecturer on business ethics who proudly worked for President Obama. In 2020, I challenged Carolyn Maloney and came within 3 points of victory. Over 100,000 New Yorkers voted in the 2020 Democratic primary election. When my parents emigrated from India in the late 1960s in search of economic opportunity, three generations of our family lived in a two-bedroom apartment over the bodega we ran. I grew up bussing tables, filling vending machines, doing motel laundry, and helping out on construction sites. Together as a family, we lived the American Dream, something that's nearly far too difficult today. I’m running for Congress because Democrats need a new generation of leaders - practical and progressive leaders who can deliver new energy and fresh ideas on how to get things done. Leaders who are always on the side of democracy, not just when it’s politically advantageous. 1990s politicians have lost nearly every major battle to Mitch McConnell - on abortion rights, gun reform, climate action, and our democracy. It’s time for a new approach. New fighters for a new decade. New messengers to make a better case for our values. Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? 1990s politicians have lost every major battle to Mitch McConnell - from climate action to guns and abortion. Rather than taking on these fights, the incumbents have been busy taking millions in Corporate PAC money and gerrymandering their own districts to maintain their power. To win our country back, we need new messengers to make a new case for our values. The political culture of 'No' in Washington has led to a crisis of livability. I’m ready to say ‘yes’ to progress on issues like housing, infrastructure, and childcare. I’m the only candidate in this race with comprehensive plans and the experience to make our streets safer, lower costs of living, and win back our fundamental rights. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? The Economy: Drive down inflation and bring down the cost of living by investing in a public option for childcare, lowering drug prices, and building more public universities, housing, and healthcare. Ensure infrastructure projects are completed on time and taxpayer dollars are being well-spent. Spur breakthrough innovations and discoveries with a space-race-scale mobilization of science and public R&D to solve big problems. Democracy reform: Get big money out of politics, ban gerrymandering, abolish the electoral college, expand voting rights, abolish the filibuster. Climate change: Deploy a multipronged strategy to decarbonize and reach net-zero by 2035 including a clean energy moonshot to make fossil fuels economically unviable over the next decade, fund a Green Infrastructure Bank, and a Blue New Deal to save our oceans + wetlands. Abortion and Civil rights: Codify abortion, gay marriage, contraception, and interracial marriage into federal law; expand the Supreme Court and installl term limits for Supreme Court Justices; increase Title X funding; and pass the Equal Rights Ammendment. Expand access to medication abortion and open up abortion clinics on federal land. Public Safety: Focus policing on solving violent crimes; rebuild trust between communities of color and the police; pass The VICTIM Act to help law enforcement solve gun crimes; invest in place-based, non-police interventions like street lights and street plazas; address the root causes of crime.\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it."}, {"question": "Campaign website", "answer_html": "<p>Patel's campaign website stated the following:<sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-2\"><a href=\"#cite_note-2\">[2]</a></sup>\n</p>\n<div style=\"height:400px;overflow:scroll;border:1px solid gray;margin:20px;padding:10px;\">\n<table data-nosnippet=\"\" style=\"border-collapse: collapse; border: none;background-color: transparent; auto; ;\">\n<tbody><tr>\n<td style=\"border:none; color:#B2B7F2;font-size:35px;font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; padding: 10px 3px;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"20\">“\n</td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 4px 10px;\" valign=\"top\">\n<p><b>PUBLIC SAFETY</b>\n</p><p>Families should feel comfortable walking to their local parks, running errands in their neighborhoods, and sitting on their stoops at night. Everyone deserves the right to public safety.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/public-safety\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>ABORTION RIGHTS</b>\n</p><p>Abortion care is a fundamental right. We all must be able to control our own bodily autonomy in order to have true equality in our democracy and society.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/abortion-rights\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>IMMIGRATION</b>\n</p><p>We must view immigration as a source of strength and power for our country. We must welcome immigrants and refugees with open arms and restore humanity to our immigration system.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/immigration\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND POLICING</b>\n</p><p>We must fight mass incarceration and repair the broken rela­tion­ship between police and the communit­ies they are charged with serving and protect­ing.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/criminal-justice-and-policing\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>HOUSING</b>\n</p><p>We must increase not only the number, but also the quality of all affordable housing accommodations including rent-controlled and subsidized housing, NYCHA housing, senior housing, and supportive housing.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/housing\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>MENTAL HEALTH</b>\n</p><p>Everyone should have access to affordable mental health treatment. Mental health must be taken just as seriously as their physical health by providers and insurance companies.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/mentalhealth\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>DISABILITY RIGHTS</b>\n</p><p>We must defend the rights of Americans with disabilities, and expand them to include greater agency in their own lives, better education options, and improved access to the political process.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://surajpatel.nyc/disability-rights\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>THE ABUNDANT SOCIETY</b>\n</p><p>We must get the cost of living under control and make it easier to live, raise a family, and start a business.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/the-abundant-society\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>FAMILY OPPORTUNITY GUARANTEE</b>\n</p><p>We must eradicate child poverty and increase economic security for families.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/family-opportunity-guarantee\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>CLIMATE CHANGE</b>\n</p><p>We must leave our climate in better condition for the next generation by aggressively deploying a multipronged strategy to decarbonize our economy and reach net-zero before 2050. We must pass a Green New Deal and \n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/climate-change\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>K-14+ EDUCATION FOR ALL</b>\n</p><p>Everyone should have access to quality, affordable education. We must restructure and increase investment in our post-secondary education and workforce training systems, provide student debt relief, and invest in the future of our academic institutions.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/k-14education\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>WOMEN’S RIGHTS</b>\n</p><p>We must fight for economic equality, access to affordable reproductive care, and combat domestic violence and sexual assault.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/womens-rights\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>OPEN STREETS</b>\n</p><p>Open streets mitigate environmental damage, improve public health, encourage economic growth, make the streets safer, and raise the quality of life for all. It’s time to put people over cars. \n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://surajpatel.nyc/open-streets\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>THE DYNAMIC SOCIETY</b>\n</p><p>We must enact national policy to snap us out of our technological Great Stagnation, and recreate a Dynamic Society – one that catalyzes American ingenuity to innovate through our most pressing social challenges, and to realize a more imaginative and exhilarating future. \n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/the-dynamic-society\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>DISCOVERY PROJECT</b>\n</p><p>We must invest in research and science. It’s time to get America to discover again to solve existential issues like climate change, pandemics, biodiversity loss and to find the unknown unknowns that can change the course of humanity.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/discovery-project\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>GUN VIOLENCE</b>\n</p><p>We need to pass comprehensive gun violence prevention legislation, and put an end to this national epidemic of gun violence.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/gun-violence\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>LGBTQ RIGHTS</b>\n</p><p>LGBTQ mistreatment is an epidemic that requires a systemic political change to remedy.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/lgbtqrights\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>MARIJUANA</b>\n</p><p>It’s time to legalize marijuana and end the failed war on drugs.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://www.surajpatel.nyc/marijuana\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>MEDICARE FOR ALL</b>\n</p><p>America’s broken healthcare system is a dangerous drain on our economy. Our high-priced healthcare system leaves millions uncovered, unable to afford treatment, and cut off from access to care.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://surajpatel.nyc/medicare-for-all\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a>\n</p><p><b>DEMOCRACY REFORM</b>\n</p><p>We must end the control of money over politics, end partisan gerrymandering, and end voter suppression.\n</p><p><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https://surajpatel.nyc/democracy-reform\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE</a><sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-quotedisclaimer_3-0\"><a href=\"#cite_note-quotedisclaimer-3\">[3]</a></sup>\n</p>\n</td>\n<td style=\"border: none; color: #B2B7F2; font-size: 35px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: right; padding: 10px 1px;\" valign=\"bottom\" width=\"20\">”\n</td></tr>\n</tbody></table>\n</div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"></div>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Suraj Patel completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Patel's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-65389-2020-05-26\" id=\"heading-bio-65389-2020-05-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-65389-2020-05-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-65389-2020-05-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-65389-2020-05-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-65389-2020-05-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tSuraj Patel is an attorney, activist, business leader, and lecturer on business ethics at New York University running for Congress in New York's 12th Congressional District. \n<p>He worked on both of President Obama's campaigns and as an Associate on the White House Advance Team. He serves as a visiting fellow at The Century Foundation writing on progressive policy, and serves on the Adjunct Faculty of New York University's Stern School of Business teaching business ethics. He serves on the Board of Urban Upbound and was a long time board member of Atlas:DIY.\n</p><p><br/>\n</p>\nEducation: BA, Political Science, Stanford University MPP, Cambridge University JD, NYU School of Law; Bar Admission: New York, 2011\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-65389-2020-05-26\" id=\"heading-key-message-65389-2020-05-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-65389-2020-05-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-65389-2020-05-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-65389-2020-05-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-65389-2020-05-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>Over the last three decades, the promise of New York - education, economic opportunity, and social mobility - has been broken. We deserve representation with a vision that is bold and progressive. I am running for congress to restore the promise of New York and create an American Dream that works for all.</li><li>This is an ethics challenge. I am challenging a 28 year incumbent on the basis that you cannot accept millions of dollars ion corporate PAC money and be impartial in your legislative duty on Capitol Hill. If we want change, we can't keep reelecting representatives who embody the worst parts of a system we've all come to detest. </li><li>The COVID-19 Pandemic is a crisis that's laying threadbare, how broken our government is, how broken our political system has been, how short term thinking has been. It is time to elect a new generation of leadership with bold ideas to rebuild our nation. </li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-65389-2020-05-26\" id=\"heading1-65389-2020-05-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-65389-2020-05-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-65389-2020-05-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-65389-2020-05-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-65389-2020-05-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI am passionate about all areas of public policy. I champion evidence-based policy and my campaign has written 180 pages of original policy. <br/><br/><br/>\n<p>Two of my favorite policies are the Family Opportunity Guarantee, which would reduce child poverty by over half in one year alone: https://medium.com/@surajpatelnyc/family-opportunity-guarantee-127f84f2d188 and The Discovery Project, which calls for space race-scale mobilization and investment to discover, cure, alleviate and better the greatest challenges and opportunities facing humanity: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-pandemic-shows-why-the-us-must-invest-in-public-research/<br/><br/>\n</p>\n Learn about my entire policy platform: https://www.surajpatel.nyc/policy\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>", "answer_text": "Patel's campaign website stated the following: [2]\n“ PUBLIC SAFETY Families should feel comfortable walking to their local parks, running errands in their neighborhoods, and sitting on their stoops at night. Everyone deserves the right to public safety. READ MORE ABORTION RIGHTS Abortion care is a fundamental right. We all must be able to control our own bodily autonomy in order to have true equality in our democracy and society. READ MORE IMMIGRATION We must view immigration as a source of strength and power for our country. We must welcome immigrants and refugees with open arms and restore humanity to our immigration system. READ MORE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND POLICING We must fight mass incarceration and repair the broken rela­tion­ship between police and the communit­ies they are charged with serving and protect­ing. READ MORE HOUSING We must increase not only the number, but also the quality of all affordable housing accommodations including rent-controlled and subsidized housing, NYCHA housing, senior housing, and supportive housing. READ MORE MENTAL HEALTH Everyone should have access to affordable mental health treatment. Mental health must be taken just as seriously as their physical health by providers and insurance companies. READ MORE DISABILITY RIGHTS We must defend the rights of Americans with disabilities, and expand them to include greater agency in their own lives, better education options, and improved access to the political process. READ MORE THE ABUNDANT SOCIETY We must get the cost of living under control and make it easier to live, raise a family, and start a business. READ MORE FAMILY OPPORTUNITY GUARANTEE We must eradicate child poverty and increase economic security for families. READ MORE CLIMATE CHANGE We must leave our climate in better condition for the next generation by aggressively deploying a multipronged strategy to decarbonize our economy and reach net-zero before 2050. We must pass a Green New Deal and READ MORE K-14+ EDUCATION FOR ALL Everyone should have access to quality, affordable education. We must restructure and increase investment in our post-secondary education and workforce training systems, provide student debt relief, and invest in the future of our academic institutions. READ MORE WOMEN’S RIGHTS We must fight for economic equality, access to affordable reproductive care, and combat domestic violence and sexual assault. READ MORE OPEN STREETS Open streets mitigate environmental damage, improve public health, encourage economic growth, make the streets safer, and raise the quality of life for all. It’s time to put people over cars. READ MORE THE DYNAMIC SOCIETY We must enact national policy to snap us out of our technological Great Stagnation, and recreate a Dynamic Society – one that catalyzes American ingenuity to innovate through our most pressing social challenges, and to realize a more imaginative and exhilarating future. READ MORE DISCOVERY PROJECT We must invest in research and science. It’s time to get America to discover again to solve existential issues like climate change, pandemics, biodiversity loss and to find the unknown unknowns that can change the course of humanity. READ MORE GUN VIOLENCE We need to pass comprehensive gun violence prevention legislation, and put an end to this national epidemic of gun violence. READ MORE LGBTQ RIGHTS LGBTQ mistreatment is an epidemic that requires a systemic political change to remedy. READ MORE MARIJUANA It’s time to legalize marijuana and end the failed war on drugs. READ MORE MEDICARE FOR ALL America’s broken healthcare system is a dangerous drain on our economy. Our high-priced healthcare system leaves millions uncovered, unable to afford treatment, and cut off from access to care. READ MORE DEMOCRACY REFORM We must end the control of money over politics, end partisan gerrymandering, and end voter suppression. READ MORE [3] ”\n\n\nSuraj Patel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Patel's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. Suraj Patel is an attorney, activist, business leader, and lecturer on business ethics at New York University running for Congress in New York's 12th Congressional District. He worked on both of President Obama's campaigns and as an Associate on the White House Advance Team. He serves as a visiting fellow at The Century Foundation writing on progressive policy, and serves on the Adjunct Faculty of New York University's Stern School of Business teaching business ethics. He serves on the Board of Urban Upbound and was a long time board member of Atlas:DIY. Education: BA, Political Science, Stanford University MPP, Cambridge University JD, NYU School of Law; Bar Admission: New York, 2011 Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? Over the last three decades, the promise of New York - education, economic opportunity, and social mobility - has been broken. We deserve representation with a vision that is bold and progressive. I am running for congress to restore the promise of New York and create an American Dream that works for all. This is an ethics challenge. I am challenging a 28 year incumbent on the basis that you cannot accept millions of dollars ion corporate PAC money and be impartial in your legislative duty on Capitol Hill. If we want change, we can't keep reelecting representatives who embody the worst parts of a system we've all come to detest. The COVID-19 Pandemic is a crisis that's laying threadbare, how broken our government is, how broken our political system has been, how short term thinking has been. It is time to elect a new generation of leadership with bold ideas to rebuild our nation. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? I am passionate about all areas of public policy. I champion evidence-based policy and my campaign has written 180 pages of original policy. Two of my favorite policies are the Family Opportunity Guarantee, which would reduce child poverty by over half in one year alone: https://medium.com/@surajpatelnyc/family-opportunity-guarantee-127f84f2d188 and The Discovery Project, which calls for space race-scale mobilization and investment to discover, cure, alleviate and better the greatest challenges and opportunities facing humanity: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-pandemic-shows-why-the-us-must-invest-in-public-research/ Learn about my entire policy platform: https://www.surajpatel.nyc/policy\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it."}, {"question": "Ballotpedia biographical submission form", "answer_html": "<p>The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:\n</p>", "answer_text": "The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:"}]