Sarahana Shrestha is building a progressive movement in the Hudson Valley
Assembly Member Sarahana Shrestha arrived in America more than 20 years ago with her own experience of fractured politics. Her native Nepal had seen its monarch murdered at the hands of a fringe royal seeking more power. The violence only added to the air of uncertainty surrounding the country's civil war, with Maoist insurgents fighting government forces in an attempt to secure power.
Shrestha came to New York City in 2001 to attend the New York Institute of Technology. Just weeks into the semester, al-Qaida operatives crashed two planes into the World Trade Center, and her adopted home became embroiled in the global war on terror. Shrestha’s political beliefs crystallized during the subsequent anti-war movement, but she never imagined that her commitment to organizing would lead to a run for public office one day.
“Public speaking was my nightmare. I’m actually a pretty introverted person, so I thought that it was not the right fit for me,” Shrestha told City & State. “But when I really started thinking about what is needed to change the politics of this country, change the politics of this state, and where the momentum was, I felt like I should do what is needed of me, which is run for office.”
Her 2022 run proved successful as she overtook longtime Assembly Member Kevin Cahill in the 103rd Assembly District’s Democratic primary before winning in the general election. Since her victory, the left has grown its presence in the Hudson Valley, with the Mid-Hudson Valley chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America swelling its ranks and other progressive groups ramping up their own organizing.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/personality/2025/07/sarahana-shrestha-building-progressive-movement-hudson-valley/406845/?oref=csny-homepage-top-story