Raj grew up in Wichita, still lives and works in Wichita, and he has mainstream Kansas values: protecting families, educating children, securing neighborhoods, helping small business, and reducing the cost of healthcare. Raj’s entire life has been dedicated to public service and he continues to work tirelessly to bring Wichitans together – not to divide them – and he will make Wichita the best city in the nation.

“We need Raj Goyle in the State House. We share the same priorities for Wichita and the entire state of Kansas: creating good jobs, educating our children, honoring our military personnel and veterans, and reducing the costs of health care. I look forward to working with Raj to continue the progress we’ve made in Kansas.” – Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius

What Makes Raj an Extraordinary, Visionary Leader?

Raj says, “Too many of our young Wichitans leave Kansas once they complete their education. Our best and brightest need to come home to live, work, raise their families, and help the local economy. Our community should encourage young adults to return to Kansas and contribute to improving our community.” Raj has a plan to reverse the “brain drain” in Kansas by making the state attractive to both local and national businesses, educating the state’s children, improving healthcare and access to it, and by making Kansas a leader in developing clean energy.

These are bold initiatives in Kansas, and Raj has the vision to lead Kansas in the right direction!

Hard work. Community. Love of family. Service. These all are values Raj learned from his parents while growing up in Wichita. They are the same values that guide him every day in his career as a lecturer at Wichita State University, attorney, and active member of the Wichita community. They are the same values that he will bring – along with a progressive voice – to the Kansas House of Representatives.

Background

Raj’s life in Wichita began at the tender age of nine months old and it wasn’t long before he was bringing people together to help improve the community. When he was 15, he helped organize a community-wide recycling program that saved hundreds of pounds of garbage from the county landfill and led to a large cleanup of the Arkansas River. As a reporter for the Wichita Eagle, he worked with U.S.D. 259 to produce the annual ‘back-to-school’ issue and he wrote a column on each high school in the city.

In high school, Raj was active in sports, debate, and newspaper, and was honored to graduate as both valedictorian and student body president. He attended Duke University where he was a member of a fraternity and led a coalition of faculty and students to improve working conditions on campus. He next went to Harvard Law School where in addition to his legal studies he founded a small technology company with two classmates that taught him the importance of entrepreneurship.

“Law school not only honed my advocacy skills and deepened my commitment to helping others,” says Raj, “but it is also where I met the love of my life – my wife Monica, a fellow attorney born and raised in a small town in upstate New York. We were married in July 2004 and she is now a successful corporate attorney.”

Race Facts

Race Type: Democratic Challenge
Primary Opponent: None
Primary Date: August 1, 2006
Primary Election Results: Won Primary
General Opponent: Rep. Bonnie Huy®
General Election Date: November 7, 2006
General Election Results: Won, 56 – 44 percent