City & State New York
June 19, 2017
49
ED RA ASSEMBLYMAN Birthday: 11/04/1981
EDUCATION
Loyola University Maryland
Twitter: @EdwardRa19
HEN ED RA ran for an open Assembly seat in 2010 at just 28 years old, he saw an opportunity to be a new political voice in his district. “I grew up around government and politics,” Ra says, noting that his father was involved with the town council. “Particularly in the Legislature, there’s an opportunity to work on issues you really care about. For me, things like affordability on Long Island.” While serving as the ranking minority member of the Assembly Education Committee from 2013-16, Ra also focused on reforming the controversial Common Core educational standards. Ra went to Loyola University in Maryland, where he met his wife. He majored in computer science and was in student government. Afterward, he attended St. John’s University School of Law and is licensed to practice law in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. After college, Ra served as deputy town attorney for the town of Hempstead and was an aide at the state attorney general’s office. So what’s next for the assemblyman? “To me, it’s always going to be a question that if there are other offices that end up being an opportunity and I see an opportunity to go work on things I care about. I wouldn’t hesitate to jump on some other position,” he says. “But I’m very happy working in the Assembly and I have another year in this session and I hope to finish up this session strong.”