PHILADELPHIA (TIP): A prominent Indian American community leader Neil Makhija has announced his run for Commissioner of Montgomery County — the third largest county in Pennsylvania with over 865,000 people.
If elected, the 36-year-old election law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, would be the first South Asian member to serve for the position left open by outgoing commissioner Valerie Arkoosh.
Ahead of the May 16 election, Makhija Saturday announced he will be taking a leave of absence as Executive Director of Impact, which has helped several Indian and South Asian candidates win political office.
“As Impact’s longest serving Executive Director, I am deeply proud of what we have accomplished,” he stated. “Impact has enfranchised South Asian voters and elected dozens of historic candidates across the country—from school boards all the way up to the Vice President of the United States.
“After years supporting these inspiring South Asian candidates, I’m excited to follow in their footsteps,” he wrote.
As Commissioner of Montgomery County, Makhija noted, “I would oversee a $500M+ budget and county government of 3,000 employees. Most importantly, I would administer the Board of Elections in one of the most critical counties nationwide in 2024.”
In 2021, Makhija was one of 13 civil rights leaders invited to the White House to advise President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on voting rights.
He was named by City & State PA as one of the “40 under 40” most influential people in Pennsylvania politics. In 2016, he was the Democratic nominee for the 122nd state House district, a race he lost.
In his former law practice, Makhija represented Pennsylvania counties in opioid litigation and notably, children and parents in an early class action against Big Tobacco companies who marketed flavored e-cigarettes to children. In 2019, he inspired and advised a US House Oversight Committee panel on an investigation into the youth e-cigarette epidemic, which led to a nationwide ban of flavored e-cigarettes.
Makhija worked at the White House, Senate, and earned his JD at Harvard Law School on the Horace Lentz Scholarship. While at Harvard, he founded the HLS Homelessness Coalition and was a Senior Policy Editor on the Harvard Law & Policy Review.
He received his BA from Sarah Lawrence College, where he studied neuroscience and served as co-president of his class and 2009 commencement speaker.
As the son of Indian immigrants, the Pennsylvania native is passionate about enfranchising underrepresented communities and engaging new citizens in state and local politics.
Montgomery County Commission is the governing body of Montgomery County, consisting of five members who are elected by districts. Each Commissioner is elected to a four-year term and represents approximately 45,000 constituents. The Montgomery County Commission’s responsibilities include control of all counties public funds, adoption of an annual budget reflecting anticipated income and expenses.