Rachel Khanna (D)

CT House, District 149

Democrat Independent
Rachel is a twenty-year resident of Greenwich, mom to four daughters, entrepreneur, triathlete and a longstanding community volunteer, having served on the boards of Parkway Elementary School PTA, Kids in Crisis and the Audubon Center. Most recently, Rachel served two terms (4 years) on the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting for District 10.
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As the mother of four young adult women I know firsthand how worried and frightened young people are by what is happening in our community, state, country and world. While I cannot hope to fix all of the problems we face, I can make a difference here in Connecticut and for my district by working on behalf of all of us and our shared values of greater economic opportunity, access to quality education at all levels, and equal protection under the law, for everyone.

Further, I am a 20-year resident of the district and have been active and involved in the community since my family and I moved here. I’ve served as a member of several local boards, including Parkway School and Kids in Crisis. I was first elected to public office in 2017 as a member of the Greenwich RTM representing District 10, a position I held for two terms. While on the RTM I was a proponent of a Sense of the Meeting Resolution to build a long overdue and much-needed fire station in Northwest Greenwich.

By my nature, I am someone who seeks common sense solutions to challenges we face and takes a reasonable and fact-backed approach to solving problems and seizing opportunities. This is the approach I will take if elected in November.
Two of my top priorities for the upcoming legislative session are:
1) Strong fiscal responsibility and accountability, including making no tax increase balanced budgets the norm rather than the exception, and maintain Connecticut’s attractiveness to business and families.
2) Strengthening laws that protect our rights as citizens to vote, make personal healthcare decisions, and live our lives freely.
I believe that it is time for CT to join the 46 other states that allow their citizens the convenience of voting on more than just the 14 hours of one day when polls are open. Too many people never get to exercise their right to vote because they can’t get away from work on Election Day, or the weather is bad, or the line at the polls is too long. Early voting is a proven way to conduct secure elections while making voting more accessible to working parents, seniors, voters with disabilities and many others. If passed, I would support provisions that ensure at least one weekend is included in the early voting period, and that early voting is available at a minimum of ten days before Election Day. There is nothing more important than voting - that is what makes us a government of the people, by the people and for the people. 
While we continue to fight for passage of a federal abortion rights law, we must remain vigilant here in Connecticut to ensure that no laws are passed threatening a person’s reproductive freedom or access to healthcare, including medically necessary gender affirming care. As the mother of four young women and a former Planned Parenthood escort, I am committed to ensuring a future where all are free to choose when to start a family, with whom, and how, and that access to reproductive healthcare a person needs and chooses for themselves is guaranteed and remains private. As a legislator, I will immediately join the Reproductive Freedom Caucus and work with Representatives Gilchrest and Blumenthal to champion reproductive rights and freedoms.