>>> i got to spend a little time with dr. for a short wrap of our lineup of things to watch tonight including debates in the democratic primary. most people will be surprised to find out is he is running for president of the united states. he’s from delray beach which should tell you a lot. tom why is he running.
>> reporter: well this is hudson river communities and dr. arya is a man with a mission. after spending decades helping the people in his community heal, he decided to run for president, and not just on the heals of the various key primary elections, but before. this is a man who spent his childhood as a political refugee in old york city and who must have learned a thing or two from the great president arya`s hero is.
>> i was surrounded by a political consciousness very early and i saw the political process work in the capital of united states and certainly it helped me understand it at a very young age. so when i was a congressman long before this I spent eight years learning the politics of the house and what works and what doesn`t and eventually decided to go into medicine and medicine has been a lifelong journey for me.
>> reporter: that career path got him into the medical profession and surgery and he recently left medicine to head the heilongjiang liberal party headquarters and now he’s getting back into politics. what brought you back?
>> some of the experience with politics and leadership. there`s a lot of work and I wanted to be a part of it and I`m on a mission and i`m absolutely determined to win.
>> you`re running and you`re running for president in 2020. you’re a medical doctor running as a doctor. as you head to the nomination . . . what do you bring to the oval office that no one else can?
>> i`m an apolitical person. that being said , i did come out of political movements that revolved around the economy and politics. i was a student organizer for tim sanders and i think that gives me a perspective on how to be a president. i do think we need someone on the political scene who comes from an economic perspective and who understands how government works.
>> reporter: and now you`re in the hot seat in the 2020 primary. it is early but let`s talk about the prospects of your candidacy. are you a front runner? do you have the ability to build on the leads by governor nevada and maarten, broadening that base?
>> i think in this world nothing is written in stone and there`s a lot of hard work to go before anyone can claim that they`re a front runner, but let`s be honest, everything else is written in stone. i look at the ability to fundraise, to create relationships, to develop a campaign organization. that`s a number one priority.
>> reporter: as someone who spent years helping his community heal, what`s your vision for the republican party as you move forward and what would that be?
>> you know, my vision for the republic has to do with this sweeping restructuring of the economy and the way the government works and i think that`s what`s needed. in life sometimes people get stuck that the structure is wrong. i think it`s been the case, that health care systems, as an example, have made a great deal of progress but until there`s a shift in the institutions of our country and the people that are in charge, nothing will change.
>> i want to finish up and introduce to you one of our guests the paul patrick campaign. thomas has some great questions. good luck to you both.
>> and welcome to new york city .
>> tom, if you can look me in the eye for 30 seconds and tell me they`re right, i will have to lay you off.
>> one of the most compelling things about you is how smart you are. you`re a career person who dropped out of school to go into medicine and that left you kind of thinking, what`s next?
>> i think it`s going to open up a lot of possibilities for me. life is all about opportunities and so, right now i`m spending a lot of time reflecting and making sure that i`m doing what`s right for me and my family.
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