CHICAGO: Jitendra “JD” Diganvker, a community activist, has now decided to plunge in at national level seeking Congressional seat as a Republican candidate from 8th Congressional district in Illinois. He says he is contesting “to give a voice to the hard-working, middle-class Americans often ignored by career politicians in DC.”
JD understands the struggles of everyday Americans because he has faced those same struggles himself. After coming to America seeking opportunity, he has faced hurdles and difficulties, worked long hours to support his family besides running entrepreneurial risks facing success and failures in the process. These experiences have given him firsthand knowledge of how government is stifling entrepreneurs and job creators and weighing down families with unaffordable healthcare costs.
Born in India, JD’s father was a government officer and his mother a teacher. He graduated from Shah N. H. Commerce College with a degree in Business Management and Advanced Accounting. In 1995, JD immigrated to the United States to pursue his American dream.
He got a job working at a small retail store in Chicago, then worked as a ticket auditor for United Airlines. He became an American citizen on February 4, 2003, and after years of hard work and saving money he launched his first business. He ran his rental car business for years, but ultimately had to close it down due to high taxes, rising healthcare costs, burdensome government regulations, and lack of support for small businesses.
Never one to quit, JD launched a successful credit card processing firm based in Schaumburg, which provides processing services to all types of businesses.
He also began driving for Uber, logging over 8000 rides since last year and learning the value of the gig economy. Talking to his passengers, JD gained a unique understanding of the needs and frustrations of everyday Americans. These frustration motivated JD to run for Congress.
While JD has always had a passion for service, dating back to his days in school when he advocated for student issues, his drive to support others can be traced back to a family tragedy in February of 1999.
One winter morning, while he and his wife, Nalini, were at work, his father-in-law was at home watching their two young daughters.
The electricity short-circuited and started a fire, causing the tragic demise of all three. After doctors were unsuccessful in saving his daughters, JD gave consent for his daughters’ organs to be donated, saving six lives.
JD and his wife take comfort in knowing that lives were saved thanks to their precious daughters, and they thank God for the joy brought into their lives by the birth of their son, Deep, in October 1999.
This incident drove JD to become the compassionate community servant he is today. He remembers the charitable organizations that supported him and his wife as they struggled to afford their daughters’ funerals, pay medical bills, and survive. As a result, he volunteers tirelessly for the community and has made it his life’s goal to give people hope.
He truly believes that no matter what your education, financial status, or personal struggles are, you are never lost if you have hope.
JD is an Uber driver and entrepreneur from Schaumburg, fighting for the hard-working, middle-class Americans ignored by career politicians. He has been associated with a number of social organizations in a different capacity and has rendered yeomen service to the community at large.
Harish Rao
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