Abraham Aiyash

Abraham Aiyash is an American politician and activist serving as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 4th district.[1][2] The district covers much of Detroit's Midtown, New Center, North End, Boston Edison, Virginia Park, and all of the city of Hamtramck.

Abraham Aiyash
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office December 1, 2020
Preceded by	Isaac Robinson
Personal details
Born	January 30, 1994 Hamtramck, Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Michigan State University (BA)
Website	Campaign website

Early life and education

Aiyash was born and raised in Hamtramck, Michigan, the seventh of eight children. His parents immigrated to Michigan from Yemen. Aiyash was educated in the Hamtramck Public Schools and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University, where he studied pre-medicine, political science, and Muslim studies.[3][4]

Career

When he was 13, Aiyash worked as a community organizer for the Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign.[5] In 2015 and 2016, he worked in the office of State Rep. Rose Mary Robinson.[6][7]

In 2018, Aiyash was a candidate for the Democratic primary to represent Michigan's 2nd Senate district. He finished second after Adam Hollier, who won the general election. During his campaign, Aiyash was endorsed by the Detroit Free Press.[8]

Abraham announced his candidacy for the 4th district of the Michigan House of Representatives following the death of Isaac Robinson in March 2020.[9][10][11][12] In the Democratic primary, Aiyash placed first in a field of 13 candidates. He defeated Republican nominee Howard Weathington, Working Class Party candidate Linda Rayburn, and Independent MD Rabbi Alam in the November general election. He assumed office on December 1, 2020.[13]

Controversy

During the 2020 United States presidential election, Aiyash criticized the Wayne County Board of Canvassers' initial refusal to certify the result of the vote in the County due to claims of electoral irregularities. He was accused of doxing Monica Palmer, a Republican member of the board, for speculating about which high school her children attended on a public Zoom call shortly after the refusal;[14] however, other commentators maintain that his words were taken out of context.[15] President Donald Trump drew attention to this controversy on Twitter and subsequently Aiyash himself received several threats via social media.[16]

Electoral history

2020 Michigan House of Representatives election, District 4[17]

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Abraham Aiyash	5,352	38.3
	Democratic	Michele Oberholtzer	1,946	13.9
	Democratic	Tawanna Simpson	1,520	10.9
	Democratic	Tonya Myers Phillips	1,419	10.2
	Democratic	Delorean Holmes	1,003	7.2
	Democratic	Shahab Ahmed	835	6.0
Total votes			13,962	100
	Republican	Howard Weathington	331	100
General election
	Democratic	Abraham Aiyash	27,263	89.7
	Republican	Howard Weathington	1,736	5.7
	Working Class Party	Linda Rayburn	1,027	3.4
	Independent	MD Rabbi Alam	355	1.2
Total votes			30,377	100

2018 Michigan Senate election, District 2[18]

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Adam Hollier	6,938	25.2
	Democratic	Abraham Aiyash	5,766	21.0
	Democratic	Brian Banks	4,725	17.2
	Democratic	Regina Williams	2,598	9.5
	Democratic	LaMar Lemmons Jr.	2,512	9.1
	Democratic	John Olumba	1,747	6.4
	Democratic	George Cushingberry Jr.	1,121	4.1
	Democratic	Anam Miah	931	3.4
	Democratic	Lawrence Gannan	555	2.0
	Democratic	William Phillips	328	1.2
	Democratic	Tommy Campbell	265	1.0
Total votes			27,486	100
	Republican	Lisa Papas	3,879	54.1
	Republican	John Hauler	3,289	45.9
Total votes			7,168	100
General election
	Democratic	Adam Hollier	53,920	75.7
	Republican	Lisa Papas	17,288	24.3
Total votes			71,209	100
	Democratic hold

References

1. "Status quo in Wayne County and State Reps races, newcomers to universities' boards". November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
2. "US elections 2020: Muslim American candidates who made history". Middle East Eye. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
3. "About Aiyash". Abraham Aiyash for State Representative District 4. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
4. "Abraham Aiyash sworn in as first Yemeni American State Rep". The Yemeni American (in Arabic). November 21, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
5. "Abraham Aiyash is Running for District 4 State Representative". The Yemeni American (in Arabic). June 17, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
6. housedemsAdmin. "Meet Rep. Aiyash". housedems.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
7. "Abraham Aiyash sworn in as first Yemeni American State Rep". The Yemeni American (in Arabic). November 21, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
8. Board, Detroit Free Press Editorial. "All Detroit Free Press endorsements for the 2020 general election". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
9. "State Rep. Isaac Robinson dies of suspected coronavirus infection". Crain's Detroit Business. March 29, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
10. "State Rep Isaac Robinson dead at 44; mom suspects COVID-19". seattlepi.com. March 30, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
11. EDT, Christina Zhao On 3/29/20 at 11:06 PM (March 29, 2020). "Michigan state Rep. Isaac Robinson dies from suspected coronavirus infection in Detroit". Newsweek. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
12. "State Rep. Isaac Robinson dead at 44; mom suspects COVID-19". SFGate.com. March 30, 2020.
13. "Abraham Aiyash". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
14. Nerbovig, Ashley. "Wayne County canvassers doxxed and threatened over votes". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
15. Nerbovig, Ashley. "Wayne County canvassers doxxed and threatened over votes". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
16. "Michigan election officials threatened for refusing to certify results". NewsComAu. November 18, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
17. "Michigan State House of Representatives District 4". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
18. "Michigan State Senate District 2". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 15, 2020.

External links

• Abraham Aiyash at ballotpedia.org