6. Rashida Tlaib (D)
State: Michigan
Race: 13th District
Platform highlights: Tlaib and her campaign team have leaned hard into issues of diversity, and for good reason. Tlaib, a Muslim woman and Palestinian-American, is unlike many of the candidates seen today.
Now, none of this means that Tlaib’s platform is without substance. She wants universal healthcare for all Americans, based largely off a proposed Medicare-for-all system. Like many other Democrats, she also supports equal pay for women and the abolition of tax cuts for corporations and ultra-wealthy citizens. Unlike some candidates, she’s also stated her support for unions. While that could be dangerous in other districts, an urban one like the 13th District contains parts of Detroit and its suburbs, along with union-friendly voters.
Why you should watch out for her: Historically speaking, women don’t have much representation in Congress. Even with the “pink wave” of female candidates making the news this election cycle, they are still outnumbered by their male counterparts.
That’s also how it currently sits for non-Christian candidates and sitting politicians alike. For many, it must seem that a deviation from the norm, especially when it comes to religion, is bound to turn away scores of voters. And, in fact, it often is. However, Michigan candidate Rashida Tlaib is betting that times have changed.
Tlaib is both a woman and a Muslim, two factors that, in the past, would have made it hard to be heard, much less allow her to win her primary in Michigan. Yet, here she is, not only as the Democratic nominee for her state’s 13th District, but as the one favored to win.
How favored? Tlaib is actually running unopposed, though she hasn’t taken that as an excuse to stop campaigning within her district. Neither does this mean you should ignore her — Tlaib’s rise and the support within her community speak to larger and more hopeful trends in American politics.
Campaign website: www.rashidaforcongress.com