ADC: Record Number of Arab and Muslim American Candidates Ran for Office
SOURCE: WAFA
WASHINGTON, Thursday, November 08, 2018 (WAFA) – A record number of Arab and Muslim American candidates ran for office in midterm elections this year and a good number of them won office some creating a precedent in US history, the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) said on Wednesday.
ADC extended its congratulations to the Arab American candidates who secured victory in the 2018 midterm Congressional elections held on Tuesday.
“In this pivotal midterm race, the Arab American community together with other communities of color in the U.S. made history. This election had a record number of Arab and Muslim American candidates running for office in large part thanks to the exceptional rate of grassroots mobilization by the Arab American community,” it said.
Arab American women, in particular, had a vital role in the unprecedented high number of women candidates that ran for office in this election, said ADC, citing Rashida Tlaib, who was the first Palestinian and Muslim-American woman elected to the US Congress, as well as Ilhan Omar, who is the first Somali and Muslim-American woman to win a US congressional seat. Adding to this historic race is Donna Shalala winning Florida’s 27th district.
ADC also congratulated all the Arab-American federal candidates that won in this election; namely: Ralph Abraham, Darin LaHood, Garret Graves, and Justin Amish for the US Congress. Also, winning his re-election as New Hampshire’s Governor is Arab American Chris Sununu, along with countless other Arab Americans who won local municipal level elections.
ADC’s National Board Member Michael Saba won a seat in the South Dakota House of Representatives.
There are still several other Arab American candidates whose election results have yet to be confirmed.
“Arab American participation in the US political process is an essential part of our community continuing to contribute and build this nation. It is worth noting there were over 60 Arab American candidates running for office in local, state and federal elections. ADC takes pride in supporting Arab American leadership in the U.S political system and our community’s participation,” said the ADC statement.
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