Pic: www.saintpetersblog

Mary Thomas, a government attorney in Florida, has said that she will run for the US Congressional elections in November 2016.

If elected, Thomas, whose parents arrived in American from India in 1972, would be the first woman Indian-American lawmaker to be a member of the US House of Representatives reported Saintpetersblog.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, 37-year-old Thomas is a Republican. She is pitted against incumbent Gwen Graham of the Democratic Party, who wrested the Second Congressional District of Florida from Republican Steve Southerland in 2014. Saintpetersblog had reported,

“I think we’ve found a candidate that can beat Gwen Graham,” wrote Leon County GOP committeeman Jeff Howell in an email to local Republican boosters. “Like Graham, Mary is an attorney. Mary went to FSU Law, while Graham went to law school in Washington, D.C. Like Graham, Mary is a mother, a wife, and a professional woman.

An Indian-American daughter of immigrants, Thomas has worked in the administration of Gov. Rick Scott since he took office in 2011. She currently works as general counsel for the Department of Elder Affairs.

“But unlike Graham, Mary is also a strong conservative Republican and a first-generation American. In fact, if elected, Mary would be the first Indian-American woman ever elected to Congress!”

So far only three Indian-Americans elected to the US Congress are Dalip Singh Saundh, Bobby Jindal and Ami Bera. From California, Bera is the only Indian American in the current Congress.

Thomas’s parents, Tom and Annie Thomas are physicians who immigrated from India in 1972.

“When I look in the mirror, I see someone who has lived the American dream,” Thomas commented during her announcement. “I believe what we need in Washington, is a fresh, conservative voice who will fight each day to protect the interests of our district and our great country. We need someone who has energy, passion, and the strong will to stand up for the interests and beliefs of the people that she represents. I am the right person for this job. I have a proven history of and experience in standing up for our district and our state, and this will not waiver,” she continued.

According to her campaign’s website, Thomas currently serves as the General Counsel at Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs where she manages and oversees the legal department of an agency that administers a $900 million budget.

Thomas graduated from the Florida State University College of Law and also holds a Master’s of Law from the University of Miami and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida, according to CFBS affiliate WCTV.