In Her Campus’s series Gen Leaders, we interview Gen Z candidates running for office in 2024. This month, Ashwin Ramaswami — who is running for the Georgia State Senate for District 48 — shares his journey from working in election security to running for office himself.
Georgia Senate candidate Ashwin Ramaswami recalls the moment he realized his desire to work in public service: when Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. A high schooler at the time, Ramaswami says this was when he realized how polarizing politics could be. “It wasn’t just about policy differences,” Ramaswami, 25, says in an exclusive interview with Her Campus. “It was also about the very idea of honesty, decency, integrity, and morality.”
But Ramaswami didn’t originally plan to run for office himself. After earning his undergraduate degree in computer science at Stanford University in 2021, he went to Georgetown to study law. During this time, he also started working in cybersecurity, specifically to help protect against election fraud and misinformation. However, when he discovered Shawn Still — the Republican state senator for his hometown of Johns Creek, Georgia — was indicted alongside Trump on charges related to allegedly interfering with the 2020 election in Georgia, he quit his job to run against the 52-year-old incumbent in the 2024 election. (Her Campus reached out to Still for comment about the case but didn’t hear back in time for publication. In 2023, Still pleaded not guilty to his charges, and although his case has yet to go to trial, in a recent email to the New York Times, he predicted he would be acquitted of the charges currently pending against him.)
Putting a promising career path in election security on hold in order to run for office may seem like a surprising choice to some, but Ramaswami believes this is the best way he can serve his country and community. “I grew up here, working and applying my skills to support voting rights and election processes, and then there’s someone in my hometown trying to represent those folks, completely doing the opposite,” Ramaswami says of his decision to run against Still. (He did, however, make sure to finish up his law degree; he graduated from Georgetown in May.)
In addition to preserving democracy and protecting voters’ rights, one of Ramaswami’s major campaign platforms is reproductive health care. Georgia has recently been at the center of this issue due to reports that at least two women died due to the state’s restrictive abortion law. This issue is close to home for Ramaswami, who mentions his mother had complications when she was pregnant with him and his twin brother, Arvind. “The government shouldn’t be making decisions over how and when folks should start a family,” he says.
Another big issue Ramaswami cares about is gun safety, especially with the rise of school shootings. “Getting a high-quality education is impossible if you’re worried about your safety, which is why it is so important to have better gun control, so students and community members can feel safe and have a better quality of life,” he says.
If elected, Ramaswami would be the first Gen Z Indian American senator in office, and he looks forward to bringing some much-needed representation to his diverse district. But he says he’s not looking to only serve the interests of young people or members of the immigrant community. “Someone who’s an elected official — their job is to serve everyone,” Ramaswami says, “It doesn’t matter what stance they’re on, what they’ve said about you, what they’ve tried to do to support or oppose you. Your job is to be a servant to the public. Once the election is over, you need to serve everyone.”
These responses have been edited for length and clarity.
What’s your favorite place to bring visitors in Georgia?
It depends on what they’re looking for. Lake Lanier, there’s a really, really nice beach right there. World of Coca-Cola is an amazing place as well. The Martin Luther King National Historic Site is incredible.
What’s your go-to fun fact about yourself?
I have a twin brother.
Favorite Georgia sports team?
Atlanta Braves.
Vote by mail or in-person?
I would personally vote in person. It’s just one less step. But if you’re out of state, please vote by mail.
Favorite snack on the campaign trail?
Granola bars — especially when you’re canvassing for like three or four hours straight.
What’s your favorite book?
Bhagavad Gita, which is one of the famous texts in Hinduism. It taught me about how to approach life and how to get things done, but without being too attached to the result. I think it’s a very good model in terms of how we can try our best and focus on being in the moment, as opposed to getting too worried about what’s going to happen outside of your control.
Go-to coffee order keeping you going during this election?
I don’t actually drink coffee, so whenever I go to a coffee shop, I always order steamed milk.
If you could use one word or short phrase to describe yourself, what would it be?
Honest. I’m always going to be straight with folks.