Rashida Tlaib first Arab American Muslim woman elected to U.S. Congress
August 10th, 20180 DETROIT – On August 7, voters in the 13th Congressional District made history by choosing former State Rep. Rashida Tlaib in the Democratic Primary. This November, Tlaib will be the first Arab American Muslim woman elected to Congress – she’ll appear on the general election ballot with no opposition from a Republican candidate and...
Abdul El-Sayed’s gubernatorial bid sparks new engagement and hope for a progressive Michigan, despite loss
August 10th, 20180 DEARBORN/DETROIT – Abdul El-Sayed might have fallen short of the votes needed to win the Democratic gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, Aug. 7, and the possibility of going on to become the nation's first Muslim governor, but his platform’s momentum continues in full thrust among many progressives across the state. The 33-year-old...
Sam Baydoun celebrates primary victory in Wayne County Commission race
August 10th, 20180 DEARBORN — Long-time real estate associate broker Sam Baydoun won the Democratic primary election for Wayne County Commissioner in the 13th District on Tuesday, August 7 and will run unopposed in November. Baydoun, 54, sought the seat being vacated by Commission Chairman Gary Woronchak, who mounted an unsuccessful run for State...
Dearborn and Michigan voters set new voter turnout records
August 10th, 20180 DEARBORN— About 2.1 million people out of 7.4 million registered cast their votes in Michigan in the Aug. 7 primaries, with a nearly 28.6 percent voter turnout breaking records going as far back as 1978, according to state election officials. The results of Michigan's gubernatorial race mirrored most polls that had former State...
AAPAC endorses candidates in more races
August 4th, 20180 DEARBORN – Several key races are brewing that could alter the course municipalities and the state take as they face challenges like improving public education, fixing dilapidated infrastructure and lowering insurance premiums. After interviews and deliberations on August 1, The Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC)...
Our endorsements for August 7 primary elections – Part 2
August 3rd, 20180 Last week The Arab American News editorial board issued endorsements for eight key races in the upcoming August 7 primary elections, including Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan gubernatorial primary; incumbent U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich); incumbent U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, (D-Dearborn) for U.S. representative in the 12th...
My Muslim Vote rally in Dearborn motivates potential voters
August 3rd, 20180 DEARBORN — Organizers at Sunday’s My Muslim Vote rally held outside the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn encouraged the Muslim community to participate in local and state elections. Nada Al-Hanooti, executive director of the Michigan chapter of Emgage, an organization that encourages Muslims to vote and was a...
More progressives embrace ‘Abdul for Michigan’ even as he battles Democratic skeptics
August 1st, 20180 YPSILANTI — With the days fast counting down to Michigan’s Aug. 7 primary election, gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign has been taking Southeast Michigan by storm, as diverse crowds pack halls along his tour route. At his fourth rally of the weekend, Brown Chapel AME Church in Ypsilanti was filled with an...
Our endorsements for the August 7 primary elections
July 27th, 20180 This election is a defining event for America This election, for many reasons, is perhaps the most important one in America’s modern history. First, our democracy is in grave danger. During the last presidential election and since Donald Trump took office, there have been a systematic attack on our democracy at all levels. The...
Gubernatorial candidates outline visions for Michigan’s comeback
July 27th, 20180 As Michiganders seek to turn the state around, the governor’s office – plagued with wide-spread distrust – is being eyed as a worthwhile place to start, beginning with the August 7 primary election. Shortcomings like an education system that fails to produce enough skilled workers, non-existent public transportation and cities...
Two candidates for Detroit area State Senate seat have controversial pasts
July 22nd, 20180 DETROIT— Among the seven Democratic candidates seeking to fill a Detroit-area State Senate seat left open by a term-limited incumbent who pleaded guilty to federal theft and conspiracy charges, two have histories involving crime and controversy. Former State Sen. Bert Johnson (D-Highland Park) resigned after pleading guilty to...
Muslim candidates campaign in record numbers nationwide, but face backlash
July 20th, 20181 SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — When Muslim American Tahirah Amatul-Wadud heard about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's stunning upset over U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley in New York's Democratic primary last month, the first-time candidate saw parallels with her own long-shot campaign for Congress in western Massachusetts. Ocasio-Cortez, a liberal woman of...
Michigan Supreme Court hears arguments over anti-gerrymandering ballot proposal
July 18th, 20181 LANSING — The Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments challenging a proposed November ballot initiative to change who draws congressional and legislative districts every decade. The justices held a special session on Wednesday and asked many questions during 75 minutes of arguments. Voters Not Politicians, a group backed by the...
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell denies implying El-Sayed can’t win because he’s Muslim
July 16th, 20181 DEARBORN ― U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) has come under fire for implying during an interview with HuffPost at a rally in Ann Arbor on Saturday that gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed is less likely to win the election because he's a Muslim. Dingell is backing Gretchen Whitmer, a former Michigan Senate minority...
Progressive Democrats increasingly criticize Israel, which could be politically rewarding
July 13th, 20180 WASHINGTON — For decades it was seen as too politically risky to criticize Israel, but this midterm cycle a growing number of Democratic candidates have begun openly criticizing some of its policies. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the first-time candidate who upset 10-term incumbent Rep. Joseph Crowley in last month’s Democratic......
AAPAC endorses candidates in key primary races
July 13th, 20181 DEARBORN – Several key races are brewing that could alter the course municipalities and the state are taking as they face challenges like improving public education, fixing dilapidated infrastructure and lowering insurance premiums. After a passionate debate on Tuesday, July 11, The Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC)...
First Arab American sworn in as mayor of Paterson, New Jersey
July 6th, 20180 PATERSON, NJ —Andre Sayegh was sworn in as the mayor of Paterson, New Jersey on Sunday afternoon, July 1, becoming the first Arab American to hold the city’s highest office. Sayegh’s longtime political mentor, Rep. Bill Pascrell, administered the oath of office. Following his oath, Sayegh delivered a 12-minute inaugural...
Meet the candidates aiming to become first Muslim Congresswomen
July 6th, 20180 Progressive and unorthodox candidates for Congress have been racking up major victories in the past few months, sending shockwaves and turning heads in a political arena long-dominated by White Republican men with deep pockets. On June 26, 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated a 10-term Democratic incumbent in the primaries...
State senate candidates for third district share views on key issues
June 30th, 20181 DEARBORN - Two state senate candidates for the third district, State Rep. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) and Wayne County Commissioner Gary Woronchak, are competing in the August Democratic primary to replace term-limited State Sen. Morris Hood III (D-Detroit), who represents a district of about 215,000 residents in Dearborn, Detroit and......
Wayne County commissioner removed from primary ballot
June 23rd, 20180 DETROIT — Reggie "Reg" Davis, who was appointed as a Wayne County commissioner in January, has been taken off the August primary ballot after his opponent, Monique Baker McCormick, challenged his eligibility. Wayne County Clerk Cathy M. Garrett said she was upholding the challenge that Davis, in his bid to run for commissioner of...
State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud endorses Abdul El-Sayed for governor
June 22nd, 20180 DEARBORN — Dr. Abdul El-Sayed continues to rack up endorsements from across the state and around the country in his bid to be Michigan’s next governor. On Monday, State Rep. Hammoud (D-Dearborn) became the latest elected official to endorse Abdul El-Sayed’s gubernatorial campaign. A proud son of immigrants, Rep. Hammoud......
Somali American seeks Keith Ellison’s seat in Congress
June 18th, 20180 MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — Ilhan Omar is a Somali American politician who escaped from Somalia as a child, grew up in a Kenyan refugee camp and later immigrated to Minnesota. Years after immigrating, she became the nation’s first and only Somali American lawmaker when she won a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives in...
Candidates for 13th Congressional District debate school funding
June 16th, 20186 DETROIT – Democratic candidates for the 13th District participated in a forum on June 11 at Detroit’s North Rosedale Park Community House that focused primarily on the role charter schools play in uplifting Detroit’s youth and reducing poverty and crime. The forum drew a sizable and passionate audience, many of whom explicitly......
