Bill Clinton endorses Indian American for Congress

Dr Ami Bera, the Indian American Democratic Party candidate from a Congressional seat in California, received a big boost to his electoral ambition as he was endorsed by former United States President Bill Clinton.

Clinton's endorsement to Bera and three other candidates came at a public meeting in University of California Davis, which was attended by thousands of people.

At the recently concluded Democratic National Convention, Clinton had nominated Barack Obama as the party's nominee for the Presidential elections.

"The four people I am on the stage with -- two in Congress, two trying to get there -- each in their own way, they represent the American dream. They prove that a commitment to shared prosperity works better than trickle down," Clinton said in his address to thousands of people, with Bera on the stage with the former president.

"The four people on the stage with me are dedicated to your future. The President is dedicated to your future. They know that we can build a new American prosperity in the 21st century. But it is a long hard road and we have to do the smart thing. We have to do it together. It all begins with you," Clinton said.

Bera, who is contesting from California's 7th Congressional District, tweeted after the rally, "Honored to share the stage with Pres.Clinton. It was a great event!"

The seat is seen by political experts as one of the nation's most competitive.

Parents of Bera, 45, immigrated to the US from India over 50 years ago.

"Fired up after President Clinton's speech? It's time to volunteer for our grassroots campaign in CA07," he again tweeted.

Last week, Bera was endorsed by Sacramento Bee; the largest newspaper of the area.

"Bera has several qualities that would make him an able representative," the endorsement read.

If elected, Bera would be the third Indian American to become a member of the US House of Representatives, after Dalip Singh Saund and Bobby Jindal.

In addition to Bera, four other Indian Americans are in the fray for the Congress.

They are Upendra Chivukula from New Jersey, Ranjit 'Rikky' Gill from California, Dr Manan Trivedi from Pennsylvania and Dr Syed Taj from Michigan.

Of these, all are from the Democratic Party, except for Gill who is from the Republican Party.

He has earned the endorsement of top Republican leaders including Jeb Bush, the former governor or Florida, and Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina.