Tlaib, El Sayed elevate election hopes
Rashida Tlaib and Dr. Abdul El Sayed are the biggest news in the midterm primary in Michigan and in our community.
Rashida beat great odds to win over Brenda Jones in a mostly African American community. Jones, an African American, is Detroit City Council president, according to the New York Times.
But what is even more significant is that Tlaib will become the first Muslim American woman to serve in Congress, succeeding longtime U.S. Representative John Conyers Jr, who resigned a few months back.
Dr. El Sayed ran an inspirational campaign for governor of the state of Michigan and he received more than 30 percent of the votes. This is a huge for the first Arab-and-Muslim American to run for a governor of a state and receive that many votes statewide. His numbers will set the stage for anyone in our community and nationwide to run
Tlaib, a former Michigan state legislator, Detroit native and a daughter of Palestinian immigrants, has always been a fighter, beating great odds to serve in Lansing and now she will use the same tenacity in Washington.
Tlaib’s win and El Sayed numbers will set the stage for anyone in our community and nationwide to run for office. Already, more than 100 American Muslims filed to run for elected office this year, according to the Associated Press. That number will defiantly increase.
In general, we support good candidates regardless of their background, faith or color, but seeing more Muslim Americans run office speaks for enhanced diversity in our government.
Congratulations to Tlaib and El Sayed should be proud.
