After a close race on election day, Suhas Subramanyam (D) secured a seat in the US House of Representatives in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District on Nov. 6 with help from students Sahasra Jonnalagadda and Katie Helge, who worked on his campaign trail.
A resident of Brambleton, Virginia, Subramanyam has served in the Virginia House of Delegates for the 87th district from 2020-2024 and then as a member of the Virginia Senate from the 32nd district in 2024. Over the past year, Subramanyam has run against Mike Clancy (R) who has previously served on Governor-Elect Youngkin’s Technology and Cyber Security Transition Team. Senior Sahasra Jonnalagadda and junior Katie Helge have interned on Subramanyam’s congressional campaign since May of 2024, supporting his efforts and each contributing up to 150 hours of work to his cause.
“I did a lot of the finance work which involved a lot of donor prospecting, so looking at people that have donated to past political people and people that have been donors for Suhas,” Helge said. “I did poll greetings and door knocking on election day and talked to people until they left their house to vote, and I informed the general public on Suhas and what he wants to do.”
Despite the significance of state elections on local community issues and everyday life, the “New York Times” reports that only 27% of eligible voters participate in local elections. Presidential elections tend to overshadow local races, resulting in lower voter turnout and less education about candidates in state elections.
“The hardest part was promoting the campaign with presidential elections occurring at the same time,” Helge said. “When I spoke to voters, many people focused on the two presidential candidates, streaming the focus away from Suhas and his campaign. When talking to voters, especially earlier into the election campaign season, I would have to educate them about Suhas as they didn’t know as much about him. However, as time went on and the election got closer, Suhas received more publicity allowing voters to understand him better as a candidate.”
It’s crucial for voters to be well-informed on political candidates. Campaigns play a vital role in educating voters, raising awareness about the election, and encouraging Americans to go out and vote. While underage youth might not be able to vote in elections, students can still use their voices and actions to get involved and become educated in politics, just as Jonnalagadda and Helge have done.
“I learned a lot more knowledge firsthand by working with a politician himself,” Jonnalagadda said. “I was able to understand a lot of political cultures and understand a lot more about the political process, how it works, how voting goes, how different campaigns run, and just politics in general”
On the night of the election, Subramanyam’s team rented out the Dulles Marriott for a celebration, with election results playing in the background. Local and state officials, including Phyliss Randall (D) and David Ramadan (R), attended the event and a variety of guest speakers took the stage during the evening.
“It was amazing seeing our hard work from the last seven months pay off, as I began working with ‘Team Suhas’ in May 2024,” Jonnalagadda said. “It was a minimum of 15 hours a week as an intern so we dedicated a lot of time and it’s nice that all of that paid off with Suhas securing the VA-CD 10 seat.”
An experience like this offers a firsthand look at the challenges of running for office and provides insight into what being part of a campaign is truly like. Getting involved in local politics provides a deeper understanding of the political process and policies, while also offering valuable experience in areas like finance and marketing. It’s a great first step in getting involved in the community and preparing for the professional world.
“My favorite part was all of the people I got to work with,” Jonnalagadda said. “I was able to network with elected officials at the local and state level, allowing me to understand multiple different perspectives. I would like to continue to be involved in the future as I am planning to study Political Science & Economics in college. I found it insightful working for the campaign and hope to be involved next election season with the Virginia Governor’s Election coming up next year.”
