India, April 28 -- In a historic first for Washington DC, a South Asian candidate has entered the mayoral race, marking a significant milestone in the city's political history.

Rini Sampath is a 31-year-old cybersecurity expert born in Tamil Nadu's Theni in India. She moved to the US when she was seven years old and has been a resident of Washington DC for more than a decade.

"I am a proud immigrant who moved to this country when I was 7. My family came to pursue the American Dream, and I am passionate about making that dream a reality for every DC resident," Sampath said on X, responding to a tweet that read "go home to India."

"I'm Rini Sampath and I'm running for DC Mayor. In DC, we have a population that's incredibly engaged with f...