(Image source from: Harmukh News)

Former United States president Barack Obama has endorsed an American of Indian-Tibetan descent Aftab Pureval, who is for the Congressional elections in November.

Obama has released his first endorsement list of over 80 Democratic candidates.

The 35-year-old is an only American of Indian-Tibetan descent to enter the House of Representatives from the first Congressional District of Ohio, among the list of 81 candidates running for various positions in the November mid-term elections.

"I'm proud to endorse such a wide and impressive array of Democratic candidates - leaders as diverse, patriotic and big-hearted as America they're running to represent," said Obama on Wednesday as he released his first list.

One-fourth of them is running for the U.S. Congress.

Pureval, whose campaign has gained momentum in recent weeks, said he was "fired up and ready to go". "President Obama inspired me to get involved in public service. It is surreal and incredible to have his endorsement," he said. "As he told us, we are the ones who have been waiting for. Change starts with us. And in 100 days, we're going to make it happen here," said Pureval.

Pureval, in more than 100 years, he was the first Democrat to get elected as the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts.

Pureval, who was given birth and raised in Southwest Ohio worked at a law firm and worked with the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) as a special assistant federal prosecutor to defend crimes against children.

As Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, he brought professional and modern reforms to the office, ended nepotism and patronage, launched a new website, cut down fees for public records and put more services online.

"Pureval raised more than double what Chabot raised last quarter and is approaching the long-time incumbent's cash-on-hand total," said Sabato's Crystal Ball, weekly online political newsletter.

By Sowmya Sangam