List of Iranian Americans and Canadians Running in 2018 Elections, Some Endorsed by Obama

Oct 11, 2018

Independent Aggregator of Iran-related News/Events, Kodoom.com: American voters, including an estimated 500,000 Iranian Americans, will go to voting stations on November 6. There are several candidates, including several Iranian Americans, who will impact the interests of the Iranian American community. In Canada, there are several candidates of Iranian heritage running in the 2018 municipal elections in Ontario to be held on October 22, 2018. What follows is a list of candidates:

United States

Iranian American Shireen Ghorbani is running for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District seat. If elected, Shireen would be the first American of Iranian descent to hold a position as a member of Congress. Ghorbani is endorsed by Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC).

Shireen Ghorbani

Shireen grew up in North Dakota as the daughter of an Iranian father and American mother. She has served in the Peace Corps, obtained two master’s degrees, and is currently employed at the University of Utah in communications and organizational development. Shireen also has over 20 years of advocacy experience working with and supporting victims of sexual violence, and she currently serves as the Board Chair for a local non-profit that works with victims of sexual violence.

Shireen’s campaign has been endorsed by numerous state and local public officials and organizations, and a recent poll shows that she is gaining on her opponent, Congressman Chris Stewart. Her campaign has achieved an incredible jump in name recognition and voter enthusiasm through an entirely grassroots effort.

Iranian American Anna Monahemi Kaplan is running as the democratic candidate for New York’s 7th District’s State Senate seat and endorsed by both President Obama and Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC). Born in Tabriz, Iran, Kaplan came to the U.S. as a political refugee when she was 13 years old. She was cared for by families across the U.S. in foster care until her family was able to safely make it here. Kaplan graduated from Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women with a bachelor’s degree and went on to the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law for her law degree.

Anna Kaplan (Monahemi)

Kaplan is married with two daughters and currently lives in Great Neck, New York. She is an active participant in community affairs, serving as Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman for the Fourth District, a member on the local Board of Zoning Appeals, and a member of the Great Neck Library Board. Kaplan is competing to unseat first term State Senator Elaine Phillips (R-NY). The election is considered to be the most critical race to determine which party will control the New York state legislature. Kaplan’s campaign has been endorsed by numerous elected officials and organizations including former President Barack Obama, Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo, the AFL-CIO of New York, the National Organization for Women, and many more.

Eskamani taking on the Republican candidate

A first generation Iranian American and an Orlando native, Anna Eskamani is a Democratic candidate seeking election to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 47 and endorsed by former President Obama as well as Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC). She grew up in a working-class family who struggled to make ends meet. She has a twin sister, an older brother, and a caring father, but when she was 13 years old, Anna lost her mother to cancer. This loss in her family, coupled with the challenges her parents faced, inspires Anna to work hard for the most marginalized members of her community.

After spending her younger years in Orange County Public Schools, Anna attended the University of Central Florida (UCF), earning a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies, and a certificate in Service Learning. She went on to obtain a dual master’s in Nonprofit Management and Public Administration along with a certificate in Gender Studies. She’s currently continuing her education as a PhD student in Public Affairs while she serves as an adjunct professor and works full-time as a Senior Director for Planned Parenthood. She’s received numerous awards over the years including the Cannon Porta Award in 2017. That’s an honor given to a dedicated woman who epitomizes the principles and values of the Democratic Party and leads by example through organizing and leading on a grassroots level in Central Florida.

Although not of Iranian heritage, Ammar Campa-Najjar, a Latino-Arab congressional candidate is supported by many Iranian American voters in California. The 29-year-old former Obama administration Labor Department official whose father is a Palestinian Muslim and mother a Mexican-American Catholic has never held elected office but hoping to unseat indicted Republican U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter.

Najjar, Standing 4th from right

In Hunter, he’s taking on a widely known Iraq war veteran who coasted through the June primary in the most Republican district in Southern California with a 30-point, first-place finish after serving five terms. The Hunter name is something of a political dynasty in the area. Hunter’s father was elected to the seat in 1980 and held it until his son won in 2008. But the indictment of Hunter and his wife Margaret that alleges they illegally converted his campaign account into a household checkbook reorders his re-election contest, giving Democrats a suddenly stronger hand in a district that for decades has embraced Republican candidates.

Yasmine Taeb

An Iranian American, Yasmine Taeb, a human rights and civil liberties attorney and Democratic National Committee official, announced last month that she is challenging Virginia Senate Minority Leader Dick Saslaw in the state’s June Democratic primary.

Among candidates of non-Iranian ancestry, a few candidates are of special interest to Iranian Americans in light of their views on sanctions and visa ban imposed by President Trump on Iranians:

In Texas, Senator Ted Cruz who once called himself Iran's worst nightmare is now being seriously challenged by Beto O’Rourke, his Democratic opponent in U.S. Senate race.

Cruz lost (badly) in 2016 GOP Presidential primary to a relentless Donald Trump who was more Anti-Iran than Cruz, but the campaign poster which read "Iran’s worst nightmare" was once again on display recently during Mr. Cruz' re-election campaign for this November.

An estimated 60,000 Iranian Americans live in Texas but Cruz continues to leverage his anti-Iran, pro-Israel position. Last week, when Iran's former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tweeted words of support for Kaepernick, Cruz jumped on that tweet and promptly made the connection between Ahmadinejad and Beto O'Rourke, Cruz's opponent in November's midterm elections. O'Rourke recently appeared in a viral video defending NFL players' rights to protest racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem.

"When a radical anti-Semite, anti-American Iranian dictator emphatically agrees with you," Cruz tweeted, "maybe that's a sign Beto, the NFL, and Nike are all on the wrong side of the American people ...."

In January Cruz met with former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi of Iran to discuss overthrow of Iranian government. Although in that meeting Senator Cruz discussed the "Iranian regime," in his public campaign for his American supporters and his re-published poster he attacks "Iran" which could provoke Anti-Iranian sentiments among his radical supporters and possibly violence against Iranian Americans.

On the Democratic side, only four US Senators, supported by the pro-Netanyahu AIPAC lobby, opposed President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran: Charles E. Schumer of New York, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Only Cardin in Maryland and Menendez in New Jersey are running for re-election this November.

Menendez (second from right) with other Senators and Netanyahu

In New Jersey, polling is now nearly tied between Menendez and his Republican challenger Bob Hugin. Some 59 percent of New Jersey voters say Menendez's corruption scandal is "extremely important" or "significant" in their vote. Menendez allegedly helped a fraudulent Jewish doctor named Salomon Melgen commit Medicare fraud on a massive scale. Melgen was convicted of stealing $73 million from the program by forcing his patients to undergo unnecessary (and sometimes excruciating) medical procedures. He then buttered up Menendez with $600,000 in campaign donations, a luxury hotel stay in Paris, multiple free trips on a private jet, and other gifts. In return, the senator apparently interceded with the government on Melgen's behalf, trying to get payment disputes resolved in his favor.

In Maryland, Senator Cardin seems to be ahead of his opponents but the relatively large number of Iranian Americans may be a factor in narrowing his lead.

Canada

Iranian Canadians Mahnaz Shahbazi and Nima Shahi are running in 2018 Municipal Election (October 22, 2018) as Ward 5 Candidates in Richmond Hill.

Mahnaz Shahbazi

Mahnaz Shahbazi is a mother of two young children, equal and contributing partner to her husband, for 27 years. She is a strong and dedicated community activist and a successful business woman. She has been an active participant in many government level civic activities and elections. She has lived and worked in Richmond Hill since 2001.

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