Suraj Budathoki is a Democratic representative for Hillsborough District 40 in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, elected in November 2024. He is the first Bhutanese-American State Representative in U.S. history, having arrived in the U.S. as a refugee from Bhutan. Born on May 27 in Bhutan, he is a Hindu, married with two children, and resides in Manchester, NH. Budathoki is a business owner and former conduct board member for the city of Manchester. Notable achievements include co-founding Bhutanese Community New Hampshire , a nonprofit aiding Bhutanese refugees, where he served as its first executive director and later on the board.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Associate degree from Manchester Community College; BA in Political Science from Southern New Hampshire University ; MA in International Relations from Norwich University; currently a doctoral student in Transformative Social Change.
• Political Experience: Elected to the New Hampshire House in 2024, serving Hillsborough 40 as a Democrat; worked on the Bernie Sanders campaign; voted in 2025 to remove legal penalties for marijuana possession and use .