Ibraheem Samirah
Ibraheem Samirah | |
---|---|
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 86th district | |
In office February 20, 2019 – January 12, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Jennifer Boysko |
Succeeded by | Irene Shin |
Personal details | |
Born | DMD) | August 20, 1991
Occupation | Dentist |
Ibraheem S. Samirah (born August 20, 1991) is an American politician. He served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 86th district from 2019 to 2022. First elected in a special election, he was defeated for re-election in the Democratic primary by Irene Shin in June 2021.
In 2023, he unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination for State Senate for Virginia's 32nd State Senate District.[1]
Early life and education
A major contributor to this section appears to have a close connection with its subject. (May 2023) |
Samirah was born in Chicago on August 20, 1991 to Jordanian-Palestinian immigrant parents.[2] Samirah's grandparents were Palestinian refugees.[3]
Samirah's father was a graduate student actively who became involved in activism.[4] In 2003, his father was denied re-entry into the United States as a national security risk.[4] This resulted in the family moving to Amman, Jordan. In an interview with Washingtonian, Samirah described it as a “depressing time.”[4] Samirah's father was eventually readmitted to the United States in 2014.[5]
In 2013, Samirah graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and political science from American University.[6] He was a member of Students for Justice in Palestine and founded the first-ever college chapter for Jewish Voice for Peace at American University.[7][8] He was an observant Muslim throughout college.[4]
He earned his
Antisemitism controversy
In 2014, Samirah made a series of posts on his
Virginia House of Delegates
Elections
After
In June 2021, he was defeated in the Democratic primary by non-profit organizer Irene Shin.[15][16]
2019 protest
On July 30, 2019, Samirah disrupted a speech by Donald Trump in Jamestown, Virginia.[17]
Virginia State Senate campaign
In 2023, Samirah announced his campaign for State Senate in the Democratic primary for Virginia's 32nd State Senate District.[1] He was easily defeated by Del. Suhas Subramanyam, who went on to win the general election, in the Democratic primary.[18]
Electoral history
February 2019 special election
After
Date | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Virginia House of Delegates, 86th district | |||||
January 12, 2019[19] | Democratic primary | Ibraheem S. Samirah | 733 | 35.8 | |
Kofi Annan | 615 | 30.0 | |||
Mike O'Reilly | 503 | 24.6 | |||
Chad Thompson | 196 | 9.6 | |||
February 19, 2019[13] | Special | Ibraheem S. Samirah | Democratic | 3,740 | 59.5 |
Gregg G. Nelson | Republican | 2,162 | 34.4 | ||
Connie H. Hutchinson | Independent | 370 | 5.9 | ||
Write Ins | 13 | 0.2 | |||
Jennifer Boysko resigned; seat stayed Democratic |
2019 general election
Following his win in the 2019 special election, Samirah was unopposed for reelection in the November general election.
Date | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Virginia House of Delegates, 86th district | |||||
November 5, 2019[20] | General | Ibraheem S. Samirah | Democratic | 14,730 | 88.9 |
Write Ins | 1,836 | 11.1 |
2021 general election primary
Samirah filed for reelection in 2021. However, he was defeated in the Democratic primary by Irene Shin.
Date | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Virginia House of Delegates, 86th district | |||||
June 8, 2021[21] | Democratic primary | Irene Shin | 3,415 | 51.7 | |
Ibraheem S. Samirah | 3,185 | 48.3 |
2023 general election
Samirah unsuccessfully ran for State Senate in 2023 and was defeated in the primary by Suhas Subramanyam.
Date | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Virginia State Senate, 32nd district | |||||
June 20, 2023[22] | Democratic primary | Suhas Subramanyam | 11,178 | 73.7 | |
Ibraheem S. Samirah | 4,000 | 26.4 |
Personal life
Samirah lives in Sterling, Virginia.[12]
References
- ^ a b "Ibraheem Samirah Will Run for Virginia Senate - Washingtonian". March 6, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ Cline, Nathaniel (February 19, 2019). "Democrat Ibraheem Samirah wins House of Delegates 86th District special election | News". loudountimes.com. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ "Exiled as a 'Security' Threat, Former Orland Man May Soon Return". Orland Park, IL Patch. September 9, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Beaujon, Andrew (October 27, 2019). "Ibraheem Samirah Is Nowhere Near Done Messing With the Way Virginia Does Politics". Washingtonian. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
- ^ Moran, James (March 12, 2010). "United States Court of Appeals: Samirah V. Ahscroft" (PDF). Govinfo.Gov. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ "Bio: Ibraheem Samirah". Vote Smart. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ "Being a Palestinian-American". Her Campus. April 2, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
- ^ "A movement grows at American University". Mondoweiss. November 30, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
- ^ "Dr. Ibraheem Samirah Joins District Smiles As Senior Dentist In Tenleytown DC". PressCable. MarketersMEDIA. February 11, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ Sebastian, Dave (April 19, 2016). "Palestinian student advocates protest festival celebrating Israel Independence Day". The Daily Free Press. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ Olivo, Antonia (February 19, 2019). "Va. Democrat who was attacked for remarks against Israel wins election for House seat". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ a b Douglas, Catherine (February 20, 2019). "Democrat Ibraheem Samirah Wins 86th District Seat". Reston Now. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ a b "2019 February 19 Special: Official Results". Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
- ^ "Ibraheem Samirah". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
- ^ Cline, Nathaniel (June 9, 2021). "Shin unseats Samirah for Democratic nomination in 86th House District race; to face Herndon teacher Julie Perry in November". Loudoun Times. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ Nathaniel Cline (June 9, 2021). "Shin unseats Samirah for Democratic nomination in 86th House District race; to face Herndon teacher Julie Perry in November". LoudounTimes.com. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
- ^ Watson, Kathryn (September 30, 2019). "Democratic Virginia state delegate interrupts Trump's speech". CBS. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
- ^ "Subramanyam wins Democratic primary for 32nd District Senate seat in Loudoun". INSIDENOVA.COM. June 20, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ "Samirah wins Democratic nomination for 86th House of Delegates District special election". Loudoun Times-Mirror. January 12, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
- ^ "2019 November General: Official Results". Virginia Department of Elections. Archived from the original on November 7, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
- ^ "2021 June Democratic Primary". results.elections.virginia.gov. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
- ^ "2023 June Democratic Primary". elections.virginia.gov. Retrieved July 14, 2023.