Sam Arora
Encyclopedia
Sam Arora is an American community advocate, businessman and politician
from Montgomery County, Maryland
. A Democrat
, Arora was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates
in 2010, representing the state's 19th district. He was sworn into office on January 12, 2011.
. They moved to New York City for several years, where Arora was born, and returned to Maryland in 1982. He attended the Barrie School
, where he was student body president and graduated salutatorian
. He earned a bachelor’s degree cum laude from Columbia University
, where he was a founder of the Columbia Political Union, and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center
, where he was president of the student bar association
.
Arora currently is Vice President for Business Development of the Arora Group, a health care services firm that primarily serves the Department of Defense and U.S. Coast Guard.
(D-MI) before moving to New York to attend Columbia University, where he began interning on the exploratory campaign for then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton
and later in her Senate office. He served as an aide to Democratic National Committee
chair Terry McAuliffe
during the 2003-2004 election cycle before returning to work for Sen. Clinton’s campaign committee for Clinton’s 2006 re-election campaign and part of her 2008 presidential primary campaign. Arora also served as a legal clerk to Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler and in the criminal appellate division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
and co-sponsored a bill allowing it early in the 2011 session. A similar bill was filed in the Maryland Senate (SB 116-Civil Marriage Protection Act) and was assigned to the House Judiciary committee, the committee on which Arora serves.
In early March 2011, Arora began backpedaling on his support for the legislation, removing references to his earlier enthusiasm for same-sex marriage from his campaign's Twitter
account and privately telling the bill's sponsor, Del. Kumar Barve
, that he would vote against it once it reached the House floor. This abrupt reversal angered many of Arora's supporters in progressive
and gay rights
circles, prompting several to express disappointment and requests to refund their campaign donations.
After several days, Arora again changed his position, announcing on his website that he would support the measure with some reservations. During the House Judiciary committee voting session on SB 116, Arora voted for the bill. SB 116 was approved by the committee 12-10 and was to be forwarded to the full House of Delegates for final approval.
, Wheaton
, Leisure World, Northwood, Four Corners, Aspen Hill
, Kemp Mill
, Olney
, Derwood
, Laytonsville
and unincorporated areas of Rockville
and Gaithersburg
. Incumbents Roger Manno
and Henry B. Heller
had decided against seeking reelection, creating two open seats in the 19th.
Six Democrats filed for delegate and, in the Democratic primary election held on September 14, Arora won a place on the Democratic ticket for the general election along with incumbent Benjamin F. Kramer
and Bonnie Cullison
.
The 2010 election of Arora and Aruna Miller along with the re-election of Majority Leader Kumar P. Barve
made Maryland the first state in the United States to elect more than one Indian American to a state legislature.
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
from Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Arora was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...
in 2010, representing the state's 19th district. He was sworn into office on January 12, 2011.
Early life and career
Originally from New Delhi, India, Arora’s mother and father immigrated to the United States in the 1970s, settling in Montgomery County, MarylandMontgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
. They moved to New York City for several years, where Arora was born, and returned to Maryland in 1982. He attended the Barrie School
The Barrie School
Barrie School, formerly the Peter Pan School, is an independent school for all grades of pre-collegiate education located in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC....
, where he was student body president and graduated salutatorian
Salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
. He earned a bachelor’s degree cum laude from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where he was a founder of the Columbia Political Union, and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
, where he was president of the student bar association
Student Bar Association
Student bar associations are student organizations that exist at many laws schools in the United States. Student bar associations take their name from bar associations, which are professional bodies of lawyers....
.
Arora currently is Vice President for Business Development of the Arora Group, a health care services firm that primarily serves the Department of Defense and U.S. Coast Guard.
Political career
Arora began working in 1999 as an intern and briefly as a staff assistant to U.S. Senator Carl LevinCarl Levin
Carl Milton Levin is a Jewish-American United States Senator from Michigan, serving since 1979. He is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
(D-MI) before moving to New York to attend Columbia University, where he began interning on the exploratory campaign for then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
and later in her Senate office. He served as an aide to Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
chair Terry McAuliffe
Terry McAuliffe
Terence Richard "Terry" McAuliffe is a longtime leader and political advisor for the United States Democratic Party. He served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005. He served as Co-Chairman of President William Jefferson Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign and also...
during the 2003-2004 election cycle before returning to work for Sen. Clinton’s campaign committee for Clinton’s 2006 re-election campaign and part of her 2008 presidential primary campaign. Arora also served as a legal clerk to Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler and in the criminal appellate division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Same-sex marriage
Arora ran for the Maryland House of Delegates on a platform of support for same-sex marriage in MarylandSame-sex marriage in Maryland
The U.S. state of Maryland does not currently perform same-sex marriage. In 2004, supporters of same-sex marriage filed a lawsuit, Deane & Polyak v. Conaway, which sought to allow these unions to occur in the state...
and co-sponsored a bill allowing it early in the 2011 session. A similar bill was filed in the Maryland Senate (SB 116-Civil Marriage Protection Act) and was assigned to the House Judiciary committee, the committee on which Arora serves.
In early March 2011, Arora began backpedaling on his support for the legislation, removing references to his earlier enthusiasm for same-sex marriage from his campaign's Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account and privately telling the bill's sponsor, Del. Kumar Barve
Kumar P. Barve
Kumar P. Barve is an American politician. He is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing district 17 in Montgomery County.-Legislative career:...
, that he would vote against it once it reached the House floor. This abrupt reversal angered many of Arora's supporters in progressive
Progressivism in the United States
Progressivism in the United States is a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large...
and gay rights
Gay rights in the United States
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in the United States have evolved over time and vary on a state-by-state basis. Sexual acts between persons of the same sex have been legal nationwide in the U.S. since 2003, pursuant to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas.Family,...
circles, prompting several to express disappointment and requests to refund their campaign donations.
After several days, Arora again changed his position, announcing on his website that he would support the measure with some reservations. During the House Judiciary committee voting session on SB 116, Arora voted for the bill. SB 116 was approved by the committee 12-10 and was to be forwarded to the full House of Delegates for final approval.
2010 primary election
Arora ran for a delegate seat in the three-member 19th district, where he grew up. The district includes the Montgomery County communities of Silver SpringSilver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
, Wheaton
Wheaton, Maryland
Wheaton is an unincorporated, urbanized area in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, north of Washington, D.C., northwest of Silver Spring. Wheaton takes its name from Frank Wheaton , a career officer in the United States Army and volunteer from Rhode Island in the Union Army who rose to the rank of...
, Leisure World, Northwood, Four Corners, Aspen Hill
Aspen Hill, Maryland
Aspen Hill is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland. It got its name from aspen trees that once were found near the first post office in the area...
, Kemp Mill
Kemp Mill, Maryland
Kemp Mill is a census-designated place and an unincorporated census area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,956 at the 2000 census....
, Olney
Olney, Maryland
Olney, a census-designated place and an unincorporated area of Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, is located in the north central part of the county, twenty miles north of Washington, D.C. It was largely agricultural until the 1960s, when growth of the Washington suburbs led to its conversion into...
, Derwood
Derwood, Maryland
Derwood is an unincorporated area of about 15,600 people in east-central Montgomery County, Maryland. It is a relatively dense area. It lies just east of Rockville, south east of Gaithersburg, south west of Olney, and north west of the greater Silver Spring, Maryland area. Residents of Derwood...
, Laytonsville
Laytonsville, Maryland
Laytonsville is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 277 at the 2000 census. Laytonsville was originally known as Cracklintown. This name originated from the popular cracklin bread, which was baked in the locale. This recipe, essentially a bacon corn bread, also...
and unincorporated areas of Rockville
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
and Gaithersburg
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The city had a population of 59,933 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville...
. Incumbents Roger Manno
Roger Manno
Roger Manno is an American politician. He was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2006 to represent the 19th Legislative District, and in 2010 was elected to the Maryland State Senate.-Background:...
and Henry B. Heller
Henry B. Heller
Henry B. "Hank" Heller is an American politician from the state of Maryland. A Democrat, he is currently one of three members of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 19 in central Montgomery County.-Background:...
had decided against seeking reelection, creating two open seats in the 19th.
Six Democrats filed for delegate and, in the Democratic primary election held on September 14, Arora won a place on the Democratic ticket for the general election along with incumbent Benjamin F. Kramer
Benjamin F. Kramer
Benjamin F. "Ben" Kramer is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He is currently serving in his first term in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's District 19 in Montgomery County. He currently serves on the Judiciary Committee...
and Bonnie Cullison
Bonnie Cullison
Bonnie Cullison is an American teacher, labor official and politician from Montgomery County, Maryland. A Democrat, she was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2010, representing the state's 19th district. She took office on January 12, 2011.-Early life and career:Raised in St...
.
| Name | Votes | Percent | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Kramer | 7,603 | 26.3% | Won |
| Bonnie Cullison | 6,083 | 21.1% | Won |
| Sam Arora | 5,767 | 20.0% | Won |
| Jay Hutchins | 4,559 | 15.8% | Lost |
| Hoan Dang | 3,277 | 11.3% | Lost |
| Vivian Scretchen | 1,600 | 5.5% | Lost |
2010 general election
In the general election, the three Democratic nominees faced two Republican candidates, and the Democratic team won in a landslide with Arora placing second.| Name | Votes | Percent | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Kramer, Democrat | 23,526 | 25.8% | Won |
| Sam Arora, Democrat | 22,242 | 24.4% | Won |
| Bonnie Cullison, Democrat | 21,795 | 23.9% | Won |
| Linn Rivera, Republican | 11,929 | 13.1% | Lost |
| Tom Masser, Republican | 11,362 | 12.5% | Lost |
Personal
In 2006, Arora was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" on Capitol Hill by The Hill newspaper, which wrote that he "bears an uncanny resemblance to actor Ben Stiller."The 2010 election of Arora and Aruna Miller along with the re-election of Majority Leader Kumar P. Barve
Kumar P. Barve
Kumar P. Barve is an American politician. He is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing district 17 in Montgomery County.-Legislative career:...
made Maryland the first state in the United States to elect more than one Indian American to a state legislature.