In this political season where, honestly, no party is 100% happy with their candidates for President, at last a shining star comes forth. Sure, he is not a candidate for President, but nevertheless an interesting candidate indeed. I'm speaking of Vijay Kumar of Nashville, Tennessee who is seeking the Republican nomination for the 5th district Congressional House seat now presently held by Rep. Jim Cooper (D). Vijay is an immigrant (legally) to the United States from his native India. Vijay is an American success story, having come to the U.S.A. with nothing, struggling over 20 years to complete the immigration process to become an American Citizen. Along the way, he met his wife Robin (from Kentucky) and they have a son, and two adopted children.

  A Nashville-based Indian American sales professional has thrown his hat into a challenging congressional race in Tennessee this year. 
  Vijay Kumar, a 54-year-old Indian immigrant, is seeking the Republican nomination in a primary race set for August with an unabashed conservative campaign platform that includes an all-out battle against what he calls “radical Islamic terrorism,” a strict immigration policy that brooks no concessions for undocumented workers, emphasizes assimilation of immigrants, and supports making English the official language.

  Vijay Kumar is a candidate for Congress from Tennessee’s fifth congressional district which includes the city of Nashville. This Congressional seat is currently held by Jim Cooper, a Democrat with a background as a lawyer and in private capital fundraising. He is the son of Tennessee Governor Prentice Cooper (who served three two-year terms from 1939-1945) and is well entrenched in state politics having previously served as congressional representative in Tennessee’s more rural 4^th district. Going up against such a well-known politician is a formidable task, but Kumar is up to the challenge. He says the political turning point for him came on September 11, 2001.