It’s time for change. Raised in Montgomery County, Amar helped run Maryland’s largest gun-violence prevention program. He’s fighting to lower the cost of living, get our youth back on track, and finally get UpCounty moving.

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Our Community & Our Values

Here in District 39, we are one of the most diverse places in America.
Though we come from every corner of the globe,

we share the same values.

We are people of fortitude. We work hard. We crave the opportunity to build and own something real in this country.

We value faith and family above all else. We live the values of brotherhood and sisterhood. We take care of each other.

Our Democracy is still capable of delivering.

We have to believe in ourselves. We have to have courage. We have to say No Kings, No Oligarchs, & No Lobbyists.

We have to elect a new kind of leadership.

Let’s work toward four simple goals:
Reclaim our Democracy.
Make the American Dream Affordable.
Guarantee Gun-Free, World-Class Schools.
Meet the Challenges of Our Time — AI & Climate.

Let’s work toward four simple goals:
Reclaim our Democracy.
Make the American Dream Affordable.
Guarantee Gun-Free, World-Class Schools.
Meet the Challenges of Our Time — AI & Climate.

Step 1:
Reclaim Our Democracy

Keep ICE out of Schools and Churches: Maryland must protect all sensitive locations and ban local law enforcement cooperation and data-sharing with ICE.
Ban Corporate Money in Politics: Special interests have eaten away at our Democracy. Maryland must start us on a new path.
Make Primaries Open to All: people should not have to pick a party in order to be allowed to vote. Simple.
Ban Masking By ICE Agents: America’s immigration system is broken but that doest not justify dehumanization and authoritarianism. Maryland must fight back.
Bring Young Men Back to the Democratic Party: Our party has lost the support of young men, especially young men of color and those affiliated with the military. We are that change.
End Gerrymandering Nation-Wide: The path to fair maps is agreements between red and blue state governors, Maryland must negotiate from a place of strength.

For Amar, Immigrants are Patriots.

Amar’s parents are immigrants from Pakistan and India. His family did not leave war, corruption, and right-wing dictatorship only to see America fall into the same darkness.

Amar grew up to serve as a combat engineer in the US Army Reserve. He knows that you have to be willing to fight on any front to protect the promise of our Democracy.

Step 2:
Make the American Dream Affordable

Universal Healthcare: By taking the best ideas from reforms in states like Connecticut and Massachusetts, Maryland can save billions in healthcare costs and expand access to all.
Affordable Childcare and Eldercare: Anti-competitive practices are pushing out small and locally owned businesses, we can lower the cost of living while promoting small business ownership.
Tax Cuts for Seniors: Other states don’t tax retirement income like pensions and IRAs—Maryland should exempt all retirement income up to $60,000. Let’s help seniors stay in their homes.
Fast Licensing for Tradespeople: Whether its a roofing license or a plumbing license, antiquated systems keep skilled, minority workers disenfranchised.
Lower HOA Fees: Private equity has bought up small HOA management companies, driving up costs. This has to stop. Watch
Lower Car Insurance Premiums: Maryland’s uninsured rate has been driven up by lobbyist written rules, leading to sky-high costs for all. It’s corruption, pure and simple.

For Amar, Affordability is Personal

Amar’s parents are entrepreneurs. In the 90s they had incredible success, but when he was nine, their company went bankrupt.

Their family moved seven times before he graduated high school, finding stability when they were taken in rent-free by a family friend. He knows that for struggling families every dollar makes a difference.

Step 3:
Guarantee Gun-Free, World-Class Schools.

Opportunity Starts with Safety: Maryland must ban convertible pistols and tax reckless gun retailers to keep our schools and communities safe.
Make MoCo Schools the Best Again: Our schools are good, but not good enough. Fix the culture, fully engage parents, reward great teachers, remove the worst, and help educators innovate.
Community Rec Centers: When parents work late and kids don’t have activities, they fall behind. Montgomery Village and Clarksburg deserve better.
Healthy School Meals: By taxing junk foods and investing the money in kids, we can improve outcomes and lower costs.
Prepare Our Kids For An AI World: It’s time for our schools to rethink evaluations where learning can be skipped with AI . AI should enhance learning not replace it.
Vocational Training: There is so much opportunity outside of the college pathway. We should be helping all our young people thrive.
Audit Public Benefits: Minnesota audited benefits like SNAP and Section-8 to ensure they don’t punish two-parent households. It got parents more engaged and drove up scores.
Change School Culture: The culture of discipline is every school must be unique to it’s community. It’s time to empower parents and teachers to set real behavior standards.

For Amar, Youth are Non-Negotiable

In his mid-20s Amar lost one of his closest loved ones to addiction. The loss was devastating for him and his family, and it inspired him to help build Roca into Maryland’s largest community-based gun violence and addiction prevention program.

He worked hands on helping young people find housing, overcome substance abuse, resolve trauma, and find better paths.

Watch this interview with Ted Koppel on CBS to learn about Amar’s work at Roca.

Step 4:
Meet the Challenges of our Time: AI, Climate, & Infrastructure.

Get the UpCounty Moving: From Gaithersburg to Clarksburg we spend our lives on 270. It’s unacceptable. It’s time for dramatic investments in metro, rail, and effective road expansion.
The World’s First Clean Energy Opportunity Zones: Let’s accelerate decarbonization and create a new base of employment amid federal job cuts by bringing the world’s climate innovators to Maryland.
Extend the Red Line Germantown: We have a plan for an innovative, low-cost solution that can be the start of world class transit in the Upcounty.
Fix the Parking: Too much of Montgomery Village, like other parts of MoCo has been built up without enough parking. Let’s stop this kind of corrupt development.
End Algorithmic Pricing: AI is being used for surveillance pricing. That’s driving up costs and it’s unfair. Maryland can stop it.
Stop AI’s Workforce Destruction: There are good and potentially horrible consequences of AI. One of the worst is mass unemployment. We need to invest heavily in retraining and slow down AI for a manageable transition.

For Amar, Innovation Is The Only Option

Amar received his Bachelor’s from Amherst College in Computer Science, completed a Fulbright research grant in machine learning, and received his Master’s in Energy and Infrastructure Engineering from Stanford.

In college Amar started a coding education company. After selling it to his first employee, he started a small investment firm that was acquired in 2018. He knows that Maryland deserves a government capable of moving at 21st century speed.

For ALL: Amar’s Message

" Throughout all our struggles, my parents made sure that we found our way to a house of worship every weekend, and that we prayed before every meal. I grew up in the temple, the masjid, the church and at so many bar and bat mitzvahs.

I am a person of faith. I believe our faith, values, and wisdom traditions unite us. "

“Within the four seas, all men are brothers.”
Analects of Confucius 12:5
“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”
Sahih Muslim 2586
Sahih Muslim 2586
“Do not separate yourself from the community (2:4)…if I am only for myself, what am I? (1:14)”
Rabbi Hillel (Pirkei Avot)
Rabbi Hillel (Pirkei Avot)
“Respond to the joys and sorrows of others as if they were your own.”
The Bhagavad Gita 6:32
“People, neighbors, community are the destiny helpers for one another.”
West African Igbo Proverb
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Mark 12:31

For Amar, It Is Never Too Late To Bring People Together

At Roca, Amar helped mediate conflicts between young people who had shot at each other, and in some cases killed each other’s family and friends. At Stanford, he hosted interfaith dialogues between Muslim and Jewish students. As a combat engineer in the Army reserve he has built lasting friendships with Americans of every political affiliation.

This campaign is about bridging divides and finding common ground.

Step 0: Win the right way: with real people, knocking doors, making calls, and organizing events.Without you, nothing changes.

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