Officially confirming reports that began emerging last fall, former The Apprentice 2 candidate Raj Bhakta has formally announced that he's now a candidate for something else -- the United States House of Representatives.
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Bhakta, a Republican who will be challenging first term Democratic congresswoman Allyson Schwartz for the state's 13th District seat that represents suburban Philadelphia, announced his candidacy last Monday.
"The people have a choice today, between the very symbol of a career politician and everything that career politicians represent and a candidate who is there to make a change," Bhakta said during his March 6 announcement speech. "I know that this district is not being represented well by career politician Allyson Schwartz."
Although a freshman congresswoman, Schwartz has spent 13 years as an elected official. Bhakta, a 30-year-old who manages a Fort Washington, PA real estate development firm, has never previously run for public office. "We offer voters legitimate change," Bhakta said. "I am not a politician. I am someone from a business background who wants to make a change"
Bhakta had already received the endorsements of both the Montgomery County and Philadelphia Republican parties before making his announcement. Bhakta, who has announced that he would only serve a maximum of three terms if elected, says he is running on a three word platform: "reform, reform, reform."
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Fired by Donald Trump at the conclusion of The Apprentice 2's ninth episode, Bhakta is best remembered for wearing bow ties and flirting with a couple of the women affiliated with his The Apprentice edition. In addition to attempting to win a coffee date with guest star Anna Kournakova, he also tried to get Trump receptionist Robin Himmler to give him her phone number after The Donald fired him.