First Muslim woman elected to Colorado state legislature

Iman Jodeh has become the first Palestinian and first Muslim woman elected to the legislative body of the western US state of Colorado

MENA

2 min read

�� Staff

06 November, 2020

Jodeh will represent the 41st district of Colorado [Getty]

Democrat Iman Jodeh has been elected to the Colorado State House of Representatives, beating her Republican rival Robert Andrews.

Jodeh will represent the state's 41st district as the first in the history of the state.

“We did it! I ran to make the #AmericanDream a reality for Everyone. I am a proud #Muslim, #PalestinianAmerican, & #firstgeneration American. And I am proud to be able to represent my communities & the people of #hd41 in the #Colorado state legislature! Now, let’s get to work,” Jodeh wrote on Twitter.

Jodeh’s Palestinian parents immigrated to the US in 1974, before she was born in Aurora, Colorado. She has a master's degree in General Administration.

Two other new Muslim state legislators were elected. Mauree Turner became the first Muslim lawmaker in the Oklahoma State House, while Madinah Wilson-Anton became the first Muslim woman elected in Delaware.

Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Dama Baldeh was elected to Wisconsin’s state legislature, and in Florida Christopher Benjamin also won a seat in the state’s lower house.

Rashida Tlaib, who became the first ever congresswoman of Palestinian origin to be elected in 2018, has kept her seat in the US Congress, representing Michigan, while Somali-American Ilhan Omar was also re-elected in Minnesota.

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