March 8, 2018 4:11 pm News Flash – Saira Rao Is Running For Congress!
Saira Rao, Mom of the Week from (June, 2013) is running for Congress in Colorado’s First Congressional District. Congratulations to Saira and her team for already collecting more than 1700 signatures from registered Democrats and getting on the ballot.
We visited with Saira to catch up and ask a few questions.
You’ve been a lawyer, an author and a co-founder of In This Together Media. What prompted you to take on this new challenge?
We started In This Together Media six years ago, having noticed the lack of diversity on all fronts in kids’ books. EVERYONE likes to see themselves in story. If you can’t be it, you can’t see it. For this reason, we knew there was a market for books featuring brown, black, gay, disabled, poor kids as protagonists. We were told we were out of our league, that we didn’t know what we were doing, that we were “crazy,” that we should trying interning with a publisher rather than attempting to change the industry, that “white boys sell.” Six years later those same folks are in bidding wars over our books. Why? Because everyone likes to see themselves in story. And REPRESENTATION MATTERS in all fields—books, tv, film, medicine, law, science and government. That’s where my Congressional run comes in. It doesn’t take a detective to discern how homogenous Congress is. If I win, I’ll be the first woman of color to go to Congress from Colorado, EVER. I also believe that corporate money in elections has ruined both parties, so I’m not taking any of it.
Our representatives take millions from Big Pharma, insurance companies and the NRA. And then we wonder why we don’t have healthcare for all, a growing opioid crisis and mass shootings.
If elected, what are the 3 top goals you would hope to accomplish?
- Ban Assault Weapons.
- Clean Dream Act.
- Healthcare for All.
- End Student Loan Debt.
Sorry… four is my lucky number.
How is your family involved in your campaign?
Lila (9) and Dar (7) make posters every other minute, chat me up to their friends and generally forgive my absence. Shiv, my husband, has been helping out a lot with fundraising, which is the MOST TERRIBLE PART OF ALL OF THIS, and encourages me to keep going even when I’m exhausted beyond belief. Oh, and he’s refrained from telling me how annoying I’ve been, when I know it’s just on the tip of his tongue.
Why do you think so many women are making plans to run for office in 2018?
Aside from the obvious – Donald Trump – I think many of us, especially women of color, realize we never had any power to begin with, that we’ve been taken for granted and thus, we have nothing to lose. If we have nothing to lose, then why not be the change we want to see.
How has your life changed since leaving Greenwich? How do you like living in Denver? Where are some of your favorite places to go to and things to do there?
Quite frankly, Denver is the most at home we’ve ever felt. It’s a tremendous city—urban, sophisticated with a burgeoning art and restaurant scene, and a short drive to world class hiking, biking, skiing, etc. I’ve found the community to be diverse, welcoming, smart, passionate and progressive. WE LOVE IT HERE.
Our favorite places: Santiago’s for breakfast burritos; Esquire Theater for movies; Izakaya Den for sushi; looking West to the Rocky Mountains or at Hector, our first dog!
Because Saira is not taking corporate PAC money, she is relying on regular people (like you!) to help fund her grassroots campaign.
In honor of International Women’s Day, we hope you’ll consider supporting this amazing woman by sending a donation to her campaign today.
Please contribute at
Mom of the Week Interview with Saira (6/13)
