Civibus

Biography

Rohit "Ro" Khanna (born September 13, 1976) is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. representative from California's 17th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated eight-term incumbent Democratic representative Mike Honda in the 2016 general election, after first running for the same seat in 2014. Khanna also served as the deputy assistant secretary in the United States Department of Commerce under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2011. Khanna was born in Philadelphia to Indian parents. A self-described "progressive capitalist," Khanna has called for a "new economic patriotism" as a governing philosophy. Khanna has championed the abundance agenda. Khanna endorsed Bernie Sanders for president of the United States in 2016 and co-chaired Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. He is a member of the bipartisan Congressional YIMBY Caucus, which advocates increasing housing supply to address housing affordability challenges. He founded and co-chairs the Congressional Antitrust Caucus, and has advocated stricter antitrust scrutiny of dominant technology firms and major mergers involving the tech sector. In 2025 and 2026 Khanna drew broader national attention through town halls in Republican-held districts and appearances in early-voting presidential states, leading several national outlets to describe him as a potential contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2028 United States presidential election.

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