Nida Allam

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On November 8, 2021, Allam announced that she would be seeking the Democratic Party's nomination for Congress in North Carolina's newly redrawn 4th Congressional District. [2] If she were elected, she would be the third Muslim woman to serve in Congress, after Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, [27] both of whom endorsed Allam's candidacy. Allam lost the primary to her more moderate opponent by 9 points. [28]

Political views

Allam ran for Durham County Commissioner on a platform centered on addressing economic inequality. Campaign priorities included a $15 minimum wage for county workers, boosting mental health services in schools and investing in businesses run by women and people of color. [29]

She believes that charter schools have increased racial segregation in Durham schools. [12] As a county commissioner, Allam stated she plans to increase the minimum wage of Durham Public Schools classified staff to U.S. $15 an hour and enact property tax assistance programs. [1] [16] [12] She has stated that evictions and lack of affordable housing opportunities are also a crisis in the county, and referenced the issue of gentrification misplacing Black families from their homes in Durham's historical African-American neighborhoods. [1] [12] Allam has also called for more funding and community investment into Durham Public Schools and Durham Technical Community College, saying that education is tied to economic and racial justice issues. [1] Allam supports organized labor unions. [1] She blames the North Carolina General Assembly for inadequate funding for public schools. [12]

Allam has been criticized for her past statements and tweets in regards to Israel that some have seen as Anti-Zionist or anti-Semitic. [30] [28] In 2021, Allam apologized to the Jewish community for her past statements and committed to "a movement for justice and peace, in which anti-Semitism must have no home." [31] While Allam received endorsements in her race from figures like Ilhan Omar, who have been in the past accused of antisemitism, [32] Valerie Foushee, her primary opponent, began to receive funds and assistance from pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC and Sam Bankman-Fried's Protect Our Future PAC, prompting allegations that Foushee's campaign had succeeded primarily due to support from dark money as the race became "the most expensive Democratic congressional primary in North Carolina history". [33]

Personal life

She lives in Durham with her husband, Towqir Aziz, and two dogs named Otis and Nala. [9] [6] She and Aziz met in a Muslim Sunday school. [6] Allam is a member of the Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality & Equality. [34] She is a citizen of the United States and Canada, and also holds Pakistani citizenship by descent. [35]

In April 2022, Allam announced that she was pregnant. [36] Allam had been pregnant in 2021, but had an abortion due to medical issues. [37]

Electoral history

Nida Allam
National Night Out 2021 (cropped).jpg
Allam in 2021
Durham County Commissioner
Assumed office
December 7, 2020
2022 North Carolina's 4th congressional district Democratic primary [38]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Valerie Foushee 40,531 46.15
Democratic Nida Allam32,42436.92
Democratic Clay Aiken 6,4697.37
Democratic Ashley Ward4,7305.39
Democratic Richard Watkins III1,1321.29
Democratic Crystal Cavalier1,1041.26
Democratic Stephen Valentine1,0041.14
Democratic Matt Grooms4330.49
Total votes87,827 100.0

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 McDonald, Thomasi (November 18, 2020). "Nida Allam Makes History as the First Muslim Woman Elected to Public Office in North Carolina". INDY Week.
  2. 1 2 Vaughan, Dawn (November 8, 2021). "Durham's Nida Allam running for Congress in newly drawn NC district". The News & Observer . Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "From Tragedy to Trailblazer". THE BITTER SOUTHERNER.
  4. ↑ "Americans share what it feels like to be told: 'Go back to where they came from'". fox43.com. July 16, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Short lines, 'good energy' at Durham polling places on Election Day". The Chronicle.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "About". Nida Allam.
  7. ↑ "Nida Allam's High School Timeline". MaxPreps.com.
  8. ↑ "Nida Allam's High School Girls Lacrosse Stats". MaxPreps.com.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Nida Allam | New Leaders Council". www.newleaderscouncil.org. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020.
  10. 1 2 "'A Really Powerful Witness': How Nida Allam Became NC's First Muslim Woman in Elected Office". Cardinal & Pine . November 9, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Chapel Hill Magazine May/June 2020". Issuu. April 29, 2020.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Allam, Nida (October 14, 2020). "Candidate Questionnaire: Nida Allam, Durham County Commissioner". INDY Week.
  13. ↑ "Nida Allam". www.vice.com.
  14. ↑ "NLC Convention: Nida Allam". nlcconvention.
  15. 1 2 "NC DOA : Nida Allam". ncadmin.nc.gov.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Jessica Campisi (March 6, 2020). "North Carolina woman says she's first Muslim American woman to win elected office in the state". CNN.
  17. ↑ NC Democratic Party elects diverse leadership team
  18. ↑ "N.C. Delegate Nida Allam on 2020 DNC". spectrumlocalnews.com.
  19. ↑ "Why We Support Nida Allam". People's Alliance PAC.
  20. ↑ "Equality North Carolina Releases Second Round Of 2020 Endorsements". EqualityNC.
  21. ↑ "Meet Nida Allam, the first Muslim woman elected to office in North Carolina". The Daily Tar Heel.
  22. ↑ "Durham County commissioner-elect becomes first Muslim woman to hold office in NC". March 5, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Durham commissioner candidate first Muslim woman elected to office in NC". ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. March 5, 2020.
  24. ↑ "NC SBE Contest Results". er.ncsbe.gov. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  25. ↑ Vargas, Chanel (November 3, 2020). "Nida Allam Becomes the First Muslim-American Woman Elected as a North Carolina Official". POPSUGAR News.
  26. ↑ Atwell, Ashleigh Lakieva. "Nida Allam Is The First Muslim Woman To Hold Elected Office In North Carolina - Blavity". Blavity News & Politics.
  27. ↑ "Nida Allam, North Carolina's First Muslim Woman Elected, Sets Her Eyes On Congress". HuffPost. November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  28. 1 2 Qamar, Zoha (September 22, 2022). "More Democrats Than Ever Support The Palestinian Cause, And That's Dividing The Party". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  29. ↑ Jessica Campisi (March 6, 2020). "North Carolina woman says she's first Muslim American woman to win elected office in the state". CNN. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  30. ↑ Kassel, Matthew (November 10, 2021). "A North Carolina congressional candidate has a long history of anti-Israel activism". Jewish Insider. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  31. ↑ Allam, Nida (December 22, 2021). "Op-Ed: We Must Stand in Solidarity With Our Jewish Neighbors to Fight Rising Anti-Semitism". INDY Week. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  32. ↑ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (March 4, 2019). "Ilhan Omar's Criticism Raises the Question: Is Aipac Too Powerful?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  33. ↑ "Buying a Blue Seat". www.theassemblync.com. May 10, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  34. ↑ "Nida Allam". November 17, 2020.
  35. ↑ "Directorate General of Immigration & Passports, Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan". www.dgip.gov.pk. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  36. ↑ The New and Observer (subscription required)
  37. ↑ "Nida Alam to create history once again in NC-4 Congress race". May 16, 2022.
  38. ↑ "05/17/2022 UNOFFICIAL LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE". North Carolina State Board of Elections . May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
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