Karnataka-born Rao's contest has not attracted the attention it deserves in the Indian-American community. The Republican Party selecting her to contest for secretary of state itself was an achievement for an Indian woman in a predominantly conservative state like North Carolina.
A businesswoman and long-time political activist, the unmarried Rao is facing the incumbent Elaine F Marshall. Forty-seven per cent of the 1.3 million voters are Republican, Rao said. If she can get another 2 per cent of the votes, she feels she will win in the election. She expects more people to vote on November 2, which will benefit President George W Bush as well as her.
Rao said Marshall is not very well known among the voters. The secretary of state is the fourth highest position in the state after governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.
The state has not many Indian immigrants. Yet, Rao said, she has not faced any discrimination or problems being Indian.
Rao came to the US as a four-year-old in 1970. She attended Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools from elementary through high school, graduating from South Mecklenburg. She graduated from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with a double major BA degree in political science and international relations.
She has worked in the political arena at the federal, state, and local levels. On the national level, she worked for Jim Miller, former director of the Office of Management and Budgets and a member of President Ronald Reagan's cabinet in Washington, DC. She also worked for Washington think-tanks, including Citizens for a Sound Economy and the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
It was her grandfather who founded the National Institute of Engineering, which grew to become the University of Mysore.
She says she entered politics because she feels passionate about the American freedoms. "For me, being an American is having the freedom to be who we want to be. We are free. Free to dream and make those dreams a reality, no matter how big they are."
Now, she is running for secretary of state because she sees a need to help those who have lost their jobs. "North Carolina has lost 182,000 jobs in the past three years. We are seeing jobs move overseas and across the state line. We must reverse this trend. The office of secretary of state plays a critical role in business and job creation. I want to help businesses here in North Carolina, so we can put honest, hardworking people back to work. That is why I am running."
As a young girl she used to sing the Pledge of Allegiance whenever she saw an American Flag. Finally, her teacher said, "Jay, we know you love America, but you don't have to pledge allegiance every time you see a flag."