You don’t have to be in government to do public service, says Ashwin Ramaswami, who ran for US state senate last year

Last year, when Democrat Ashwin Ramaswami ran for Georgia state senate for District 48, against Republican Shawn Still, the incumbent since 2023; he was just 25.
And though he didn’t win the election last November, Ramaswami, the son of Indian immigrants from Tamil Nadu; who has a BS degree in computer science from Stanford University and a JD in law from Georgetown University; believes that he can continue working towards serving the community and giving back even though he’s not in a public office.
“My parents came to the US from Tamil Nadu in the 90s and I grew up in a suburb in the state of Georgia. And like many Indian American youngsters, I was always interested in software and computers and started coding very early. And I am also very interested in my Indian culture and giving back to the community. I grew up going to a Sunday school and learnt about the Hindu concept of Sewa and how we can take from what we have got and give back to make sure that others, too, get the same opportunities,” Ramaswami, who worked with the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to secure the elections, in 2020, told the Times of India. And it was that philosophy which was the inspiration for him to run for a state elected office.
Some of his election campaign issues were providing everyone with a world-class education, building an economy ready for the technology of the future, passing common-sense gun safety laws, and protecting access to reproductive healthcare.
He started working with his first technology start-up around healthcare regulation in 2017, but he realised that it was important to work for government even though it was not a high-paying sector. “I did my undergrad in computer science and did work in start-ups and technology. But I soon felt that government jobs are very important and there was a big gap because people felt that those jobs are not glamorous and they don’t pay well,” he said. After working with the federal government in 2020 in election security and cyber security, Ramaswami worked at the Georgia attorney general's consumer protection division for online safety, in 2023. “I realised that this was incredibly impactful work and the work that I wanted to do. We need to take on such roles to protect our country and our people; even though most people are not going to do it because it won’t make so much money,” he said.
After law school and a stint in Washington, DC, he decided to move back home to Georgia and run for state office last year. “I saw the need for young and talented people to run for office because the people who were in office were not necessarily the best. My state senator was facing a criminal indictment and I just felt that we needed people to do the right things. That’s what led me there,” he recollected. But having worked in building technology start-ups and providing consulting and engineering support for entrepreneurship, and investing, he believes that his background helps him to provide expertise for better policy support towards the government and his country. “The best takeaway from my election campaign was how easy it is to make a difference in the world even though it often feels difficult. You just have to step forward and say this is who I am, and I am fighting for all of you, and people come and support you. That’s what we saw in the campaign,” he said, even though initially not many people in his district knew who he was. “Very quickly, people, not just in my area, but nationally started to realise that there is this 25-year-old candidate who is standing up for important values of democracy,” Ramaswami said. His campaign ended up raising over a million dollars. “It just became something much bigger than myself and my message to others who plan to run for office is that ‘you will be surprised to see how many people will support you’. The power of the people is incredible.”
The Indian American community in his hometown supported him in a big way. “I have grown up in Georgia and went to school there and I was fortunate to get support from different communities. I am also very connected to my Indian American community. I was able to be the bridge between different communities. I knew the aunties and uncles and they knew me and my commitment to my own Indian American culture. Many saw me as someone born and brought up in America who could make a difference and talk about their heritage as well. Many were also inspired by me because of my background of having grown up in Georgia and coming back home to serve,” he said.
Despite the recent cutback in federal government spending, Ramaswami is not giving up his goals of staying involved in politics and public policy and fighting for the good of people and communities. “In the short term, I am going back to tech for a bit and working on a start-up on cyber security and AI. This goes back to the broader area that one doesn’t have to be in the government to do public service. What we are doing now is helping companies and organisations be more secure and protecting data whether it’s hospitals, schools, enterprises or people,” he said. On the cutback in federal jobs by the administration of US President Donald Trump, he feels that there’s some good news and some bad. “Many whose jobs are being cut in the federal government are young and talented people who had joined more recently. Many had left jobs in the private sector to serve our country, and a lot of these cuts are happening without understanding the importance of the roles,” he rued. But Ramaswami also believes that many talented people, who are leaving government, will go out and do important things such as start businesses or join think tanks. “They will still be serving the public and staying engaged. And that’s important; because in a few years, the government will again realise that it needs the services of talented, young professionals.”