Sadan Chaudhari Singh
| |
 Singh in a 2004 campaign ad for James Carrie | |
United States Ambassador to India
| |
| In office March 1, 2009 – November 6, 2012 | |
| President | Albert Winston (D) |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Rashan Daniels |
| Successor | Kari Masters |
| Born | May 8, 1958 (Age 58) New York City, New York, United States |
| Birth name | Sadan Chaudhari Singh |
| Nationality | Indian-American |
| Political party | Democratic Party (1976 - 2017)
Progressive Party (2017 - ) |
| Spouse | Sasha Chaudhari Kaur (m. 1999) |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence | New Haven, Connecticut |
| Alma mater | University of Connecticut - Hartford (BA) |
| Profession | Businessman, Diplomat, Politician |
| Religion | Sikh |
Sadan Chaudhari Singh (Born May 8, 1958), is an American Politician, Diplomat and Entrepreneur who served as the United States Ambassador to India from 2009 to 2012. Singh was the Progressive Party nominee for the seat left vacant by Vice President Buck Havich during the 2017 Connecticut Special Election. He was defeated by Carter Roberts, and has announced his intention to challenge him again during the 2018 Midterm Elections.
Early Life[]
Singh was born to Amat and Sandra Chaudhari in New York City on May 8th, 1958. His father was the owner of a small business while his mother was a homemaker, allowing Sadan to live an average lower middle class life until the age of 14, when his father came into a large sum of money through unknown means that his son was oblivious of.
Following this newfound wealth aquisition, the family moved to Hartford, Connecticut, his father selling his business and finding mutual employment alongside his wife at a large multinational corporation.
Singh has stated that this time was when he formed "the closest friendship I ever had" with Robbie Schmerda, a boy a year his elder and the son of the corporation's CEO, whom he would develop a deep connection to.
It is through Robbie that Sadan grew an interest in business, culminating in him graduating at an average level and failing to make it into Yale, his college of choice, alongside his friend.
Education[]
Stifled but not put off from pursuing a higher education, Sadan attended The University of Connecticut at Hartford, pursuing first a degree in Economics, before changing his major a year in and pursuing a business degree instead.
Singh has admitted to functioning as a generally poor student throughout his time in school and almost flunking out, graduating in 5 years instead of 4, spending a total of 6 years as an undergraduate.
Business Career[]
Beginnings[]
After obtaining his degree, Sadan agreed to the idea of a joint business venture with his good friend, a dating service for religious minorities and particularly Sikhs. Due to a lack of financial credit, Sadan approached Robbie's father for capital, who Sadan says "laughed off the idea and dismissed me as a beggar." Following this incident, Robbie's outrage possessed him to cut ties with his father, instead taking on a management position at another business that he was able to secure with relative ease. Sadan, meanwhile, was employed as his friend's Secretary.
The two men moved in with each other in an attempt to conserve capital to jumpstart the business, but five years into their plan, Robbie passed away due to AIDS related complications. Singh has repeatedly cited his friend's death as "The hardest blow I've ever taken", and has pointed to the tragedy as inspiration for his frequent donations to AIDS research and charities.
The money apportioned in his friend's will, all of which was left to Sadan, as well as his life insurance policy, put Sadan over the "go marker" they had previously decided on to start the business.
'Sikh and Meet' and its success[]
Sadan started the service in the name of his deceased friend and hired a staff consisting almost entirely of minority employees, providing much needed jobs to such communities and opening up a new market that was previously entirely untapped. The success was painfully slow, but it eventually started adding up, and with the expansion of phone technology and the internet, the business boomed, becomign a premire dating service. By 2000, there were over 525,000 paying subscribers.
By 2003, Sadan had become a multi-millionaire, capitalizing on the boom of the world wide web and gaining even more traction, becoming wealthy enough to make serious moves in the stock market, something he proved to be incredibly good at predicting, granting him yet another stream of income. Meeting his wife through his own service, the two married after only 4 weeks of dating, and shortly thereafter she announced her pregnancy.
Political Activism[]
Following President Shrub’s invasion of Iraq, Sadan was "shocked and appalled", leading him to start the "Diverse America PAC" after receiving backlash for vehemently opposing the decision publicly on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The PAC aimed to fund candidates that were members of a religious or ethnic minority, in particular ones critical of the Iraq war.
The PAC was widely considered to be unsuccessful on a national level, with every candidate the PAC endorsed in a state-wide race losing either the primary, or the general election. The PAC was more successful when it came to local elections, with the most prominent successful candidate being Leonard King, an African-American Jewish Buisnessman, who was elected to the Mayorship of Hartford with support of the PAC by a margin of 100 votes.
In 2006, Sadan ran for United States Representative, winning the democratic nomination by a landslide but being defeated easily in the general by a Republican challenger, former Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Charles Stiles.
In 2008, Sadan was an outspoken supporter of California Senator Albert Winston's run for the Presidency, as he was a man who he believed was going to "bring massive change to the social landscape of the United States". Singh was accused of violating campaign finance law, but the case was dismissed and no charges were leveled against him.
United States Ambassador to India[]
Following Winston's ascension to the Presidency, Sadan was chosen as a political appointee to be the United States Ambassador to the Republic of India. He accepted the nomination, and his confirmation hearing was relatively uneventful, facing a final confirmation vote of 92 - 7.
Sadan's tenure as Ambassador to India has been categorized as "exceptional" by foreign policy experts, though they have noted his often idealistic approach to complex situations. Singh was subject to diplomatic acclaim following the resolution of a minor border conflict between India and Nepal, with Singh opening up a "new dialouge" between the two nations. Despite the success achieved in his post, Sadan resigned from the Ambassadorship on Election Night 2012.
Political Career[]
While he cited "personal issues" as his reason for resignation, the sudden departure of a rising star diplomat raised questions, and despite them never being publicly answered, many wondered if the Ambassador would run for political office. Speculation swirled around potential bids for office in 2014 and 2016, but Singh would decline to run in both cycles.
In December, 2016, Singh announced his intention to run for the United States Senate seat left vacant by Vice President Elect Buck Havich, entering the Democratic Primary against Mayor Carter J. Schmidt and Celebrity Chef Natalie Aquilas.
Shortly before the Democratic Primary, which polls showed to be a virtual tie between Singh and Schmidt, Singh announced his defection to the Progressive Party, citing the Democratic Party's structural failures and criticizing its leadership. He has since won the Progressive Party nomination for the seat, and it set to participate in the General Election debate alongside Schmidt and Republican Candidate Carter Roberts.
During his campaign, Singh endorsed Medicare For All and crafted a new policy initiative known as Universal Vet Employment, which would guarantee a job to any veteran returning from deployment overseas.
Political Views[]
Ideology[]
Singh identifies as and is widely considered to be a "Democratic Socialist", looking strongly to the Nordic Model and other similar systems for inspiration. He has expressed support for the political ideology of fellow Progressive Reginaldo Alphonsey, who has endorsed Singh.
Death Penalty[]
Singh is a vehement opponent of the Capital Punishment and has stated on multiple occasions that he would propose legislation to abolish it if elected to Congress.
Marijuana[]
Singh supports the legalization of marijuana, for both medical and recreational use.
Abortion[]
Singh is publicly pro-choice, and was vocally against the WAC.
LGBT Rights[]
Singh is a supporter of Same-Sex Marriage and "always has been".
Criminal Justice Reform[]
Singh is strongly against mandatory minimums, which he calls "racist", and is in favor of releasing non-violent drug offenders to reduce prison overcrowding.
Environmental Issues[]
Singh is a proponent of Green Energy and was supportive of the President Calvin Reed's "Dudley Tax".
Healthcare[]
Singh is a proponent of Universal Healthcare and has called for the implementation of a Medicare for All system. He has consistently referred to Healthcare as a right.
Universal Vet Employment[]
Singh was the first prominent political figure to call for a Federal Jobs Guarantee for Veterans, coined as Universal Vet Employment. This proposal was widely endorsed by Progressives as well as Independent Florida Senator Zipporah Hazelelponi.
Education[]
Singh is in favor of Universal Pre-Kindergarten education as well as tuition-free college.
Personal Life[]
Singh is married to Married to Sasha Chaudhari, a nurse, with whom he has one child, a girl named Maharana.
It is rumoured that Singh partakes in Marijuana consumption irregularly, but this has not been confirmed or denied.
Singh is noted to be a prolific donor to AIDS research projects, both in America and abroad, and is considered an advocate for AIDS awareness and education.
Singh Is a member of the Black Lives Matter movement and is staunchly supportive of criminal justice reform and expanded hate crime protections.