Ro Khanna

Ro Khanna
Official portrait, 2016
Ro Khanna
Born	Rohit Khanna 13 9, 1976
Birthplace	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, attorney
Known for	U.S. Representative for California's 17th congressional district
Education	Yale University (JD)
Children	2

Rohit "Ro" Khanna (born September 13, 1976) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the U.S. Representative for California's 17th congressional district since January 3, 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Khanna represents a district that encompasses much of Silicon Valley, including portions of Santa Clara County and Alameda County. Before entering Congress, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the United States Department of Commerce under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2011. Khanna first sought the 17th district seat in 2014, narrowly losing to eight-term incumbent Mike Honda, before defeating Honda in a rematch during the 2016 general election. A self-described "progressive capitalist," Khanna has articulated a governing philosophy he terms "new economic patriotism," blending progressive values with support for technology and innovation. He endorsed Bernie Sanders for president in 2016 and co-chaired Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. In Congress, Khanna has emerged as a prominent voice on issues related to technology policy, artificial intelligence, trade, and economic development, drawing attention from commentators including economist Paul Krugman, who described him as "one of the House's most sophisticated members."

Early Life

Rohit Khanna was born on September 13, 1976, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to parents of Indian descent. His family background is rooted in the Indian independence movement; his paternal grandfather, Amarnath Vidyalankar, was a member of the Indian Constituent Assembly and served in the Indian Parliament. This family connection to public service and democratic governance influenced Khanna's own trajectory toward politics and law.

Khanna grew up in a household that valued education and civic engagement. His parents had emigrated from India to the United States, and the family's immigrant experience shaped his perspective on American economic opportunity and democratic participation. As a child of Indian immigrants, Khanna later became one of the first Indian Americans to serve in the U.S. Congress, a fact that drew significant attention from both domestic and international media outlets, including coverage from The Times of India.

Details of Khanna's childhood and adolescence in Philadelphia, including his early schooling, have been documented in various profile pieces. One political portrait described the formation of his political identity and the influences that led him toward a career in public policy and law.

Education

Khanna attended the University of Chicago, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He subsequently enrolled at Yale Law School, earning his Juris Doctor (JD). His legal education at Yale prepared him for a career that would span private legal practice, government service, and academia. Prior to entering politics full-time, Khanna taught economics at Stanford University, and he also held a teaching position in American jurisprudence, drawing on his Yale legal training and his practical experience in government and the private sector.

Career

Early Legal and Academic Career

After completing his law degree at Yale, Khanna practiced law and developed expertise in intellectual property and trade issues. His academic interests led him to teach at Stanford University, where he focused on economics and American governance. Khanna also authored a book on trade and economic policy, which helped establish his credentials as a thinker on issues of American competitiveness and globalization. His work attracted attention from political and business figures in the San Francisco Bay Area, laying the groundwork for his entry into public life.

In 2004, Khanna's profile in California politics began to rise. An article in the San Francisco Chronicle noted his potential as a political candidate, identifying him as an emerging figure in Silicon Valley's political landscape.

U.S. Department of Commerce

On August 8, 2009, Khanna was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary in the United States Department of Commerce under President Barack Obama. In this role, he was involved in trade policy and economic development, including efforts to promote American exports and attract foreign investment. He led a U.S. energy trade mission to India, reflecting both his policy expertise and his personal connections to the subcontinent.

During his tenure at Commerce, Khanna also worked on job creation and investment initiatives. He was involved with Governor-level staffing on job and investment panels in California, underscoring his focus on economic development at both the federal and state levels. Khanna served in the Commerce Department until August 2011, after which he returned to California and began building a campaign organization for a run at Congress.

2014 Congressional Campaign

In 2013, Khanna announced his candidacy for California's 17th congressional district, challenging long-serving Democratic incumbent Mike Honda. The race attracted national attention for several reasons: it pitted two members of the same party against each other under California's top-two primary system, it centered on one of the most economically consequential districts in the country—the heart of Silicon Valley—and it featured a young Indian American challenger against an established Japanese American incumbent.

Khanna's campaign drew significant financial support from the technology industry and Wall Street. OpenSecrets data identified him among the House candidates most dependent on contributions from the finance industry. His candidacy was described by Bloomberg Businessweek as that of "Silicon Valley's wannabe Obama," a reference to his youthful energy, his background, and his support from tech executives.

Honda's campaign responded aggressively to the challenge, digging in against the potential challenger early in the cycle. The race was framed by some media outlets as a generational and ideological contest within the Democratic Party, testing whether a more business-friendly, tech-oriented progressive could unseat a veteran legislator with deep roots in community organizing and civil rights advocacy.

Several Bay Area newspapers endorsed Khanna in the 2014 race. The Contra Costa Times editorial board recommended Khanna, arguing that he "should replace Mike Honda" and would offer a more effective voice for the district. The San Francisco Chronicle similarly endorsed Khanna, writing that he offered "an upgrade in Congress for Silicon Valley."

Despite these endorsements and substantial fundraising, Khanna narrowly lost to Honda in the November 2014 general election. The result was close enough, however, to suggest that a rematch could produce a different outcome.

2016 Congressional Campaign and Election

Khanna ran again for the 17th district seat in 2016. The rematch with Honda took place against the backdrop of a presidential election cycle in which Khanna had endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination, a decision that aligned him with the party's progressive wing while also reflecting his "progressive capitalist" identity.

The 2016 race between Khanna and Honda was again closely watched. The San Jose Mercury News reported on the expected rematch, noting the continued dynamics between the two candidates. This time, Khanna prevailed, defeating Honda in the November 8, 2016, general election to become the U.S. Representative for California's 17th congressional district. He took office on January 3, 2017.

Tenure in Congress

Since entering Congress, Khanna has positioned himself as a bridge between progressive economic policy and the technology sector. Representing Silicon Valley, he has advocated for policies that promote innovation while also addressing economic inequality, job displacement, and the concentration of corporate power.

Khanna co-chaired Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, deepening his association with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. He has championed what he describes as an "abundance agenda," calling for increased domestic production, investment in technology, and a reorientation of American economic policy toward what he terms "new economic patriotism."

Technology and Artificial Intelligence Policy

As a representative of Silicon Valley, Khanna has been particularly engaged on issues related to technology regulation and artificial intelligence. In February 2026, Khanna and Sanders held a public event at Stanford University where they warned about the potential negative consequences of unchecked AI development. The San Francisco Standard reported that the two lawmakers "warned a Stanford crowd that AI in billionaires' hands threatens jobs and democracy." The event drew responses from technology industry figures, including Indian-origin billionaire Vinod Khosla, who criticized Khanna and Sanders on social media, accusing them of pursuing policies that would lead to "bad outcomes" for Silicon Valley.

CleanTechnica reported that Sanders and Khanna expressed "grave concerns about AI," telling an audience in Palo Alto that "the rush to expand AI may have unexpected consequences." The debate underscored Khanna's complex positioning as both a representative of the technology industry's home district and a critic of unchecked corporate power in the tech sector.

Government Oversight and Transparency

Khanna has been active in congressional oversight efforts. In February 2026, he drew national attention when he read the names of six individuals whose identities had been redacted by the Department of Justice in the Jeffrey Epstein case files onto the House floor, thereby entering them into the Congressional Record. Politico reported that Khanna "identified 'wealthy, powerful men' DOJ redacted in Epstein files," making the names part of the official public record.

Government Shutdown and Fiscal Policy

In February 2026, Khanna commented publicly on the partial government shutdown and the stalling of the SAVE America Act in the Senate. Appearing on Fox News, he stated that there had been "unfortunately no progress on ending partial government shutdown," and discussed the legislative impasse over fiscal policy. Khanna has positioned himself as a Democratic voice willing to engage with conservative media outlets, appearing regularly on Fox News and other networks to present his party's positions on fiscal and economic matters.

Trade and Tariff Policy

Khanna has been a vocal critic of tariff policies under the Trump administration. In a February 2026 interview, he questioned the administration's approach to trade, asking "Where is the law and order party?" in reference to what he characterized as inconsistencies between the Republican Party's stated principles and its trade policies.

Personal Life

Khanna resides in California's 17th congressional district, which encompasses much of Silicon Valley. He and his wife have two children. Khanna has spoken publicly about his Indian heritage and the influence of his family's immigrant experience on his political worldview. His paternal grandfather, Amarnath Vidyalankar, was a participant in the Indian independence movement and a member of the Indian Constituent Assembly and Parliament, a legacy Khanna has cited as formative in shaping his commitment to democratic governance and public service.

Khanna has described himself as a "progressive capitalist," a label that reflects his effort to synthesize progressive social and economic values with support for free enterprise, entrepreneurship, and technological innovation. This positioning has at times placed him in tension with both the more traditional left of the Democratic Party and with corporate leaders in his district who prefer less regulation.

Recognition

Khanna has received attention from major media outlets and commentators for his role as a leading Democratic voice on technology and economic policy. Economist Paul Krugman, writing on his Substack newsletter in February 2026, described Khanna as "one of the House's most sophisticated members" and "a progressive Democrat representing Silicon Valley," highlighting the complexity of representing a district at the center of the American technology economy while advocating for progressive economic reforms.

His 2014 and 2016 campaigns attracted extensive media coverage, with endorsements from the Contra Costa Times, the Oakland Tribune, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Bloomberg Businessweek profiled him as "Silicon Valley's wannabe Obama" during his first congressional campaign, a characterization that reflected the national interest in his candidacy.

Khanna's willingness to engage across media platforms—from progressive outlets to Fox News—has contributed to his visibility as a Democratic communicator on economic and fiscal policy issues. His actions on the House floor regarding the Epstein files in February 2026 drew coverage from Politico and other national outlets, further raising his profile as a proponent of government transparency.

Legacy

As of 2026, Khanna has served in Congress for nearly a decade, establishing himself as one of the most prominent Indian American politicians in the United States and a leading congressional voice on technology policy, trade, and economic development. His career has tracked a trajectory from legal practice and academic work through the Obama administration's Commerce Department to a congressional seat representing the global center of the technology industry.

Khanna's articulation of "progressive capitalism" and "new economic patriotism" represents an effort to define a distinct ideological space within the Democratic Party—one that embraces technological progress and market dynamism while insisting on policies to distribute economic gains more broadly. His collaboration with Bernie Sanders on presidential campaigns and on public events regarding AI and corporate power reflects the breadth of his political alliances, spanning from the party's progressive flank to its more business-oriented wing.

His representation of Silicon Valley has placed him at the intersection of some of the most consequential policy debates of the early 21st century, including the regulation of artificial intelligence, the future of work in an era of automation, the role of large technology companies in democratic societies, and the balance between innovation and oversight. The tensions inherent in this position—representing an industry whose leaders have at times sharply criticized his policy positions, as in the case of Vinod Khosla's public rebuke—have defined much of his congressional career and public identity.