Palestinian-American woman wins seat in Congress
258 views · Published 12 November 2018 · 1:41 · Indexed 1 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(7 Nov 2018) A Muslim woman from Detroit has won the congressional seat long held by Democratic Rep. John Conyers, who stepped down amid sexual harassment claims by former staffers. Democrat Rashida Tlaib (ruh-SHEE'-duh tuh-LEEB') was elected to represent Michigan's 13th House District on Tuesday, defeating three other candidates, including a write-in campaign by Detroit's City Council president, Brenda Jones. No Republicans were on the ballot in the heavily Democratic district, which represents parts of Detroit and some suburbs. The 42-year-old Tlaib is a Palestinian-American. Ilhan Omar, a Somali-American Democrat who ran for the House in Minnesota, will join Tlaib in Congress. They are the first Muslim women elected to the U.S. House. "This was my time to run and not sit on the sidelines. And so, I ran. And, so by chance, I'm also making history today. But more importantly people got something different," Tlaib told The Associated Press Tuesday night, taking a brief break from a spirited celebration at a Detroit restaurant. Democratic Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison was the first Muslim elected to Congress. He was running Tuesday to be Minnesota attorney general. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/9f53236b5361ae53d76492133f804a4f
