Raj Bhakta
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| Raj Bhakta | |
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| Born | December 7, 1975 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
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| Occupation | politician |
Raj Peter Bhakta (born December 7, 1975, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an entrepreneur former contestant on the second season of the reality show The Apprentice. He won the Republican Party's endorsement for the United States House of Representatives in Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district, but lost to incumbent Democrat Allyson Schwartz.
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[edit] Background
Born to an Indian father and Irish mother[citation needed], 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 [1].
[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 remembered for his witty discourse and appreciation of the opposite sex, famously trying to take Anna Kournikova and Donald's Trump's assistant on dates. Bhakta was fired by Donald Trump on the ninth week of the show.[2]
[edit] 2006 Congressional campaign
According to Tom Ellis, the Republican chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, Bhakta was a "breath of fresh air"[3] to the Montgomery County GOP. Fighting against a well-financed incubent, Bhakta received over 78,000 votes. [4] Bhakta had raised more than $480,000. [5]
[edit] DUI arrests
During Bhakta's campaign for Congress, The Smoking Gun revealed that Bhakta had been arrested in college in Massachusetts for driving under the influence of alcohol. Bhakta was not found guilty, and the case was subsequently dismissed .[6] He agreed to undergo an alcohol-education program and pay a $35 fine.[7] After the smoking gun report Bhakta admitted the he been arrested a second time, in 2004 in Vail, Colorado, where Bhakta was living at the time. The case was also dismissed. [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 failing to hire more police officers in the face of increasing murder rates in the city. [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]
[edit] Border security
On October 10, 2006, Bhakta illustrated 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 broke the law by crossing the border, remaining on private property along the Rio Grande Texas.[12] 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.[13]
The demonstration garnered national attention for Bhakta's campaign. [14] [15] Bhakta was interviewed by Bill O'Reilly,[16] Rita Cosby,[17] Glenn Beck,[18] and John Gibson.[19] "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."[20]
[edit] Robocall controversy
On November 7, 2006, the Philadelphia Daily News reported that Bhakta's campaign made "stunning" automated campaign calls to homes in Northeast Philadelphia and Montgomery County detailing the charges in 18 lawsuits against the abortion clinic founded by his opponent Allyson Schwartz. [21]
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Raj Bhakta's Biography on TV.com. Retrieved on 2006-06-11.
- ^ The Apprentice 2 NBC Homepage. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.
- ^ http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counties/philadelphia_county/philadelphia/15917650.htm
- ^ CNN.com - Elections 2006
- ^ http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counties/philadelphia_county/philadelphia/15917650.htm
- ^ 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.
- ^ Philadelphia 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?".
- ^ 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.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/15947708.htm
[edit] External links
- Raj Bhakta at the Internet Movie Database
- Raj Bhakta at TV.com
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