Iman Jodeh, a community activist and educator, is poised to become Colorado's first Muslim lawmaker
In all likelihood, Iman Jodeh will win her race and be elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in District 41. And if she does, she will become the first Muslim lawmaker in the state’s history.
Jodeh, a community activist and educator, is running to replace Democratic state Rep. Jovan Melton, who is term limited and last won reelection in 2018 with a nearly 30-point cushion. Democratic leaders expect Jodeh to cruise to victory in the Aurora-area district that sits just north of Cherry Creek Reservoir and southwest of Buckley Air Force Base.
Her election would be historic not just for Colorado. In 2015, the most recent year for which data is available, there were just three state legislators the nation who were known to identify as Muslim, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. It’s unknown how many there are now.
The groundbreaking nature of the race isn’t lost on Jodeh, who wasn’t afraid in an interview to use the word “historic” to describe the prospect of her election. But, she said, she didn’t run just to be the first Muslim in the Colorado legislature.
“I’m not running to be the first, and that was never my intention,” she said. “I’m running because I feel like my lived experiences have the ability to influence progressive policy and move the needle in a positive and progressive way.”
https://coloradosun.com/2020/10/23/iman-jodeh-colorado-muslim-lawmaker/
