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Rashida Tlaib set to become first Muslim woman elected to US Congress Rashida Tlaib set to become first Muslim woman elected to US Congress
(about 3 hours later)
Former Michigan state lawmaker Rashida Tlaib has won the Democratic nomination to run unopposed for a House seat, setting her up to become the first Muslim woman elected to Congress. Former Michigan state lawmaker Rashida Tlaib is set to become the first Muslim woman elected to Congress after winning the Democratic primary on Tuesday for a House seat in the state.
No Republicans or third-party candidates ran in Tuesday’s district 13 primary race, meaning Tlaib is set to win the seat in November’s election. She would take the spot held since 1965 by John Conyers, who stepped down in November citing health reasons amid charges of sexual harassment. Tlaib will run unopposed in the general election in November, with no Republicans on the ballot in the overwhelmingly Democratic district in and around Detroit.
Tlaib, who is of Palestinian descent, has previously said her decision to run was prompted by increasing attacks against American-Muslims and immigrants since US Donald Trump was elected. Tlaib is set to replace former Representative John Conyers, the longtime Congressman who stepped down in December amid accusations he sexually harassed former staffers.
“I didn’t run because my election would be historic,” Tlaib told ABC News last week. “I ran because of injustices and because of my boys, who are questioning their [Muslim] identity and whether they belong. I’ve never been one to stand on the sidelines.” “Thank you so much for making this unbelievable moment possible,” Tlaib said on Twitter early on Wednesday morning. “I am at a loss for words. I cannot wait to serve you in Congress.”
“When you see a Palestinian person with your name and faith succeed, it shows [the government] can ban us from coming into the country, but not from getting elected. Tlaib, 42, is a Detroit native and the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, the oldest of fourteen kids.
“Showing people it can be done would be a victory to my family.” She served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2009 to 2014, and was also the first Muslim woman ever elected to the state’s legislature.
Tlaib’s win means she will be the third Muslim to serve in the US House of Representatives this year, alongside Democratic Represenatives Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Andre Carson of Indiana. Conyers, 89, held the seat representing Michigan’s 13th district for more than five decades and became the longest-serving member of Congress before his resignation late last year. He stepped down under pressure from fellow Democrats after multiple women who used to work for him accused him of harassment, allegations that he denied.
A special primary race to serve the last two months of Conyers’ term is still too close to call. Tlaib and Detroit City Council president Brenda Jones are neck and neck. Tlaib won the primary against a field of five other candidates, including Brenda Jones, the Detroit city council president, and Conyers’ great-nephew, state Senator Ian Conyers.
The winner of that race will also run unopposed in November’s election. Tlaib has said her decision to run was prompted by increasing attacks against American Muslims and immigrants since Donald Trump was elected.
“I didn’t run because my election would be historic,” she told ABC News last week. “I ran because of injustices and because of my boys, who are questioning their [Muslim] identity and whether they belong. I’ve never been one to stand on the sidelines.”
“When you see a Palestinian person with your name and faith succeed, it shows [the government] can ban us from coming into the country, but not from getting elected,” Tlaib added. “Showing people it can be done would be a victory to my family.”
There are two Muslim-American men serving in the House, Democratic Representatives Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Andre Carson of Indiana, but no women.
Tlaib, a mom of two and the first in her family to go to college, ran to the left of the rest of the Democratic field and secured the endorsements of several national progressive groups.
She was among a dozen protesters who disrupted a speech by Trump at the Detroit Economic Club during the 2016 campaign, writing in an op-ed in the Detroit Free Press that despite criticism it was “unbecoming” behavior for a former state legislator, she concluded that “confronting Trump was the most patriotic and courageous act I could pursue” because of his anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
A separate special election to fill the last two months of Conyers’ term was still too close to call Wednesday, with Tlaib and Jones neck and neck.
Regardless of the outcome of that contest, Tlaib is expected to take the seat for a full two-year term in January.
‘‘This is a huge victory for the Arab and Muslim American communities – it’s also a huge victory for the city of Detroit,’’ Sally Howell, director of the Center for Arab American Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, told the Associated Press.
‘‘Rashida Tlaib brings forward the legacy of John Conyers in terms of the groundbreaking role he played in Congress and his commitment to civil rights.’’
US midterm elections 2018US midterm elections 2018
House of RepresentativesHouse of Representatives
DemocratsDemocrats
MichiganMichigan
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