After being elected to Michigan’s Legislature where she served in the House for 6 years, Rashida Tlaib is on track to become the United States’ first Muslim congresswomen. A daughter of Palestinian immigrants, Tlaib, 42 years old, won the Democratic primary and will soon run unopposed in the U.S. House race come January.
Tlaib is set to replace Rep. John Conyers, who after being a long-serving congressmen retired amid sexual harassment allegations.She would represent District 13, which covers portions of Detroit and the surrounding suburbs.
“I am at a loss for words,” Tlaib said in a tweet. “I cannot wait to serve you in Congress.”
A Detroit native, Tlaib became well known locally during her tenure in the state House as an environmental advocate in which “she led a charge against piles of petroleum coke heaped on the shores of the Detroit River by Koch Carbon, in a fight that made national headlines,” and she is focused on constituent services, NPR reported. Tlaib is an outspoken anti-Trump activist and is ready to push for his impeachment. She is a supporter of Medicare For All and raising the minimum wage to $15.
Her progressive thinking and “fiery rhetoric” got her a win over many established Democrats, the Detroit Free Press said, who also endorsed Tlaib.
“Her roots in social justice and activism are a good fit for the district. She pairs progressive politics with policy know-how; a commitment to social justice with a reputation for solid delivery of constituent services; she’s not afraid to unleash fiery rhetoric, but she can also deploy an easy charm that allows her to forge unlikely working relationships with her ideological opposites,” the Detroit Free Press wrote.
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