A first generation Muslim woman of Indian and Pakistani descent with a mission to achieve universal healthcare and better immigration policies, Raaheela Ahmed is running for Maryland's District 23 Senate seat.
Born in America to an Indian father and Pakistani mother, 27-year-old Ahmed will soon quit the Prince George's County Board of Education on 19 February after serving on the board for five years.
She had won the local election in 2016, defeating her opponent with 15 percent vote difference.
Ahmed had then said that it was "interesting that on the same day Donald Trump was elected as president of the US, I as a hijabi Muslim young woman was also elected to serve in a public office", as quoted by the Times of India.
"I think that speaks volumes about the diversity of American opinion, and that American dream is still well and alive," she had added.
Ahmed's profile on her website says that she will fight for "working families through her progressive platform that prioritises educational equity, strengthening our democracy, universal healthcare, environmental justice, affordable housing, corporate accountability, and criminal justice and immigration reform."
She first ran for a public office in 2012, when was only 18-years-old.
An underdog in that election, for Prince George’s County Board of Education, she lost by 3 percent margin, by ultimately bounced back in the 2016 election.
She was again re-elected to the Board in 2020.
Additionally, as Deputy Director of Campus Vote Project, Ahmed is currently focusing on helping students to vote in local and national elections.
The primaries for her Senate race begin on 28 January. She will be contesting from the Democratic Party.
(With inputs from TOI)
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