Nida Allam Announces Run For North Carolina Congressional Seat

Photo: Instagram

India-West Staff  Reporter

DURHAM, NC — Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam has launched a challenge against incumbent Congresswoman Valerie Foushee in North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District, opening her campaign with a slate of national progressive endorsements and a message centered on taking on Republican authoritarianism and corporate power.

Allam, the first Muslim woman elected in North Carolina, enters the race as a well-known progressive organizer who rose to public life after the 2015 Chapel Hill murders of her close friends, turning personal tragedy into a commitment to justice. She has served as Vice Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, Chair of the Durham Mayor’s Council for Women, and,most recently as the youngest County Commission Chair in the state’s history.

Her campaign launch emphasizes her record on the Durham County Board of Commissioners, where she argues she has translated progressive ideals into tangible results for working families.

Her endorsements come with pointed messages of support. Senator Bernie Sanders, who first brought Allam into statewide politics in 2016, backs her as a fighter willing to take on “wealthy interests” on behalf of working families.

Chintan Patel of the Indian American Impact Fund says her platform meets “the needs of South Asian Americans and all Americans” at a moment of rising discrimination.

Aru Shiney-Ajay of Sunrise Movement calls Washington “a dumpster fire” and says Allam is the kind of leader who will “shake up Congress.”

Alexandra Rojas of Justice Democrats says she is the candidate who can “take back this district from the claws of corporate PACs.”

Allam, the daughter of Indian and Pakistani immigrants, grew up in the district, attended North Carolina public schools, and studied at NC State University, where she helped organize free healthcare access for low-income residents. She previously ran for the 4th District in 2022, finishing nine points short in what became the most expensive congressional primary in state history.

Foushee, who has held public office for 27 years, was first elected to Congress in 2022.