By Melissa Nann Burke, Detroit News
Former state Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a community organizer and the first Muslim woman elected to the Michigan Legislature, said Tuesday she is running for U.S. House, aiming to win the seat of former Rep. John Conyers Jr., who resigned in December.
If successful, Tlaib, a Detroit Democrat, would be the first Muslim woman to serve in Congress. Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, a Detroit native, became the first Muslim elected to the chamber in 2007 and, along with Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indiana, is one of two Muslims currently serving in the U.S. House.
“Serving in the U.S. Congress is about much more than voting on bills. It is about taking on the corporate bullies that taint our democratic process and pushing back when the system is broken,” Tlaib said in a statement.
“Voters will never wonder where I stand on an issue or if I will be there when needed. I will be side-by-side with them as we fight back against the Trump agenda together.”
Tlaib, whose House district included southwest Detroit and Dearborn, narrowly lost a 2014 primary race challenging state Sen. Virgil Smith, who has since resigned. She now works as a public interest lawyer at the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice.
The primary field in the 13th District continues to grow, including Conyers’ 27-year-old son, John Conyers III, and his great-nephew state Sen. Ian Conyers.
Others include state Sen. Coleman Young III, Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones, state Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, former state Rep. Shanelle Jackson and Democratic activist Michael Gilmore. Detroit NAACP executive director Donnell White is also reportedly considering a run.
Tlaib grew up in Detroit, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants and the eldest of 14 children. She graduated from Southwestern High School, Wayne State University and Thomas Cooley Law School.
She worked for former Democratic state Rep. Steve Tobocman before her election to the state House in 2008, serving through 2014.
Tlaib made news in 2016 when she stood during a speech by then-candidate Donald Trump at the Detroit Economic Club, asking him to “read the U.S. Constitution,” and was escorted out by security, along with other protesters.
Last year, she joined a federal lawsuit alleging that political district maps drawn by Michigan’s Republican-led Legislature discriminate against Democratic voters to protect GOP majorities at the state Capitol and in Congress.
Tlaib says she has led efforts to require community benefits in taxpayer-subsidized development deals and to mandate a Cancer Cluster Study requirement for an area of southwest Detroit affected by industrial pollution. She also pushed to pass legislation cracking down on scrap metal theft and mortgage fraud.
“I really dislike bullies that take advantage of our families and homeowners, and who corrupt our democratic process,” Tlaib said. “And yes, sometimes that means I will block their trucks or organize campaigns against them and shame the elected officials who support their lies.”
Conyers, 88, resigned after nearly 53 years in Congress in early December amid allegations of sexual misconduct involving former female aides.
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has set the special election to fill Conyers’ seat to coincide with the regularly scheduled 2018 primary and general elections on Aug. 7 and Nov. 6, respectively.
