Raj Bhakta
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| Born: | December 7, 1975 (age 31) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States  |
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Raj Peter Bhakta (राज पीटर भक्त) (born December 7, 1975, in Philadelphia) is a former contestant on the second season of the reality show The Apprentice and was the Republican Party's nominee for the United States House of Representatives in Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district. Ultimately, he was defeated by incumbent Democrat Allyson Schwartz. According to Tom Ellis, the Republican chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, national Republicans regarded the seat as "unwinnable," [1] and indeed, Bhakta received only about a third of the vote. [2]
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[edit] Background
Born to an Indian father and Irish mother, Bhakta moved from Northeast Philadelphia's Oxford Circle to Blue Bell, Pennsylvania where he grew up. After graduating from The Hill School in 1994, Raj Bhakta earned bachelor's degrees in Economics and History with a concentration in Finance from Boston College in 1998. He began his career working at the investment banking firm of Violy & Co. in New York [3].
[edit] The Apprentice
In the fall of 2004, Bhakta appeared on the second season of the business oriented reality television show, The Apprentice. Bhakta was fired by Donald Trump on the ninth week of the show.[4]
[edit] 2006 Congressional campaign
[edit] DUI arrests
During Bhakta's campaign for Congress, The Smoking Gun revealed that Bhakta had been arrested in Massachusetts and Colorado for driving under the influence of alcohol. In the Massachusetts incident, Bhakta registered more than twice the state's 0.08 legal limit on successive breathalyzer tests. He later failed to appear at an August 1998 court hearing related to the Massachusetts arrest, resulting in the issuance of an arrest.[5] He agreed to undergo an alcohol-education program and pay a $35 fine.[6] The second incident occurred in 2004 in Vail, Colorado, where Bhakta was living at the time. That case was dismissed. [7] Bhakta said that he regrets his "irresponsible" actions saying, "Politicians today need to come clean. I ask for the forgiveness and understanding of the voters, while giving them my solemn pledge that this behavior will not happen again." [8]
[edit] Save the Northeast
The Bhakta campaign made law and order a focus of his campaign in Northeast Philadelphia. Following reports of heightened crime in the city, Bhakta laid out a position offering more police on the streets, halting or eliminating Section 8, and using Homeland Security funds for crime prevention. Bhakta also blamed Mayor John Street for the increase in the city murder rate. [9]
[edit] Debates
Bhakta often criticized Schwartz for refusing to debate during the campaign. Bhakta initially challenged Schwartz to twelve debates, six in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and six in Northeast Philadelphia. [10] The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and the Northeast Times, a local newspaper, also offered to host debates. However, Schwartz did not accept any debate invitations. [11]
The paper criticized Schwartz for not debating but also [12] reprimanded Bhakta for failing to appear for his meeting with the newspaper's editorial board: "Both Mr. Bhakta and his Democratic opponent, freshman Allyson Schwartz, had agreed to meet with the Northeast Times editorial board last week, but Mr. Bhakta didn’t bother to show up. [13]
[edit] Border security
On October 10, 2006, Bhakta wanted to illustrate the ease of crossing the United States-Mexico border by riding an elephant along the border for ninety minutes with a six-man mariachi band playing. Neither Bhakta, the elephant, nor the mariachi band crossed the border, remaining on private property in Texas.[14] Bhakta stated that he got the idea by seeing a Mexican illegally crossing the border by wading across the Rio Grande. Bhakta had a camera to record the man's illegal crossing, and succeeded in getting the man detained by border authorities.[15]
The campaign stunt garnered national attention for Bhakta who felt that the reaction was quite positive. [16] [17] Bhakta was interviewed by Bill O'Reilly,[18] Rita Cosby,[19] Glenn Beck,[20] and John Gibson.[21] "This is not about the poor Mexican immigrant who wants to come for a better life that's the real problem here," Bhakta said. He added, "The border security is a joke and this is a creative and very effective way of showing it."[22]
The elephants used by Bhakta ultimately needed to be inspected and treated for ticks. [23]
[edit] Robocall controversy
On November 7, 2006, the Philadelphia Daily News reported that Bhakta made "stunning" automated campaign calls to homes in Northeast Philadelphia and Montgomery County implying that his opponent was a physician that had performed an abortion against a patient's will. [24]
According to the newspaper, the call projected the voice of a crying, frantic woman that stated: "I had an abortion performed on me", adding that she wanted to tell "the truth about Allyson Schwartz." The call further alleged: "The truth is that 18 lawsuits have been filed against Miss Allyson Schwartz's clinic, including assault, battery, negligence, perforated bowels and uteruses, and even abortions performed without consent of her patients." The woman finished by asking voters to "think about her patients before you cast the ballot." The calls resulted in criticism of the Bhakta campaign as Schwartz is not a physician, only the former director and cofounder of the Elizabeth Blackwell Clinic, a women's health practice. [25]
[edit] Philadelphia Inquirer endorses Bhakta's opponent
The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed Bhakta's opponent in the race. The newspaper's endorsement criticized Bhakta saying that "Bhakta is the glib guy drinking behind the bleachers. He's had two arrests for DUI. He's had murky business deals." The newspaper added that "Bhakta believes the Republican Party has lost its conservative moorings. He wants to end the ability of Congress members to insert pork-barrel items into bills."[26]
[edit] Fundraising
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, as of October 18, Bhakta had raised $435,000 during the campaign, and had less than $50,000 in cash on-hand. His opponent, Allyson Schwartz had raised more than $2.6 million, and had more than $500,000 to spend. [27]
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counties/philadelphia_county/philadelphia/15917650.htm
- ^ http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006//pages/results/states/PA/index.html
- ^ Raj Bhakta's Biography on TV.com. Retrieved on June 11, 2006.
- ^ The Apprentice 2 NBC Homepage. Retrieved on July 31, 2006.
- ^ When Raj Bow-Tied One On.
- ^ When Raj Bow-Tied One On.
- ^ Silverman, Stephen M. "Ex-'Apprentice' Hopeful Admits to DUI." People. April 3, 2006.
- ^ Raj Bhakta admits to drunk driving arrests.
- ^ Philladelphia Inquirer.
- ^ http://www.newsgleaner.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=16757508&BRD=2340&PAG=461&dept_id=488595&rfi=8
- ^ "Will She or Won't She?".
- ^ "She's a Fraidy Cat".
- ^ http://www.northeasttimes.com/index.html
- ^ http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/15732791.htm
- ^ http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4253002.html
- ^ "A Bold Move" by William Rice.
- ^ "Mother Jones article.
- ^ Interview with Bill O'Reilly.
- ^ Interview with Rita Cosby.
- ^ Interview with Glenn Beck.
- ^ Interview with John Gibson.
- ^ http://www.newsgleaner.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17353815&BRD=2340&PAG=461&dept_id=488595&rfi=6
- ^ http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/ts_more.php?id=73201_0_10_0_M
- ^ http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/15947708.htm
- ^ http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/15947708.htm
- ^ http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/15802131.htm
- ^ http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counties/philadelphia_county/philadelphia/15917650.htm
