Christopher Benjamin (politician)

Christopher Benjamin is an American attorney and politician who has served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from District 107 since November 2020.[1][2]

For the British actor, see Christopher Benjamin (actor).
Christopher Benjamin
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 107th district
Assumed office
November 3, 2020
Preceded byBarbara Watson
Personal details
BornHollywood, Florida, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Carleen Nelson-Benjamin
Children4
EducationFlorida Memorial University (BS)
St. Thomas University (JD)
Military service
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1991–1994

Early life and education

Benjamin was born and raised in Hollywood, Florida. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Florida Memorial University in 1998 and a Juris Doctor from the St. Thomas University School of Law in 2001.[3]

Career

Benjamin served in the United States Army from 1991 to 1994. After graduating from law school, Benjamin worked as an attorney in the Family Division of the 11th Judicial Circuit of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Benjamin previously worked as a door-to-door salesman for the Miami Herald.[4]

In 2020, Benjamin defeated Ulysses Harvard in the Democratic primary for District 107 in the Florida House of Representatives. Benjamin did not face a candidate in the general election and assumed office on November 3, 2020.

Personal life

Upon assuming office, Benjamin became the first Muslim elected to the Florida legislature.[1][2] Benjamin and his wife, Carleen Nelson-Benjamin, have four children.

Elections
2020 Florida's 107th House district Primary Election[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Christopher Benjamin 13,376 60.6
Democratic Ulysses Buck Harvard 8,700 39.4
Total votes 22,076 100%

References
  1. Dawn Araujo-Hawkins (2020-11-16). "Religious diversity in the election". Christian Century. Retrieved 2020-11-18. More than 100 Muslims ran for office this year, and five states elected their first Muslim state lawmakers. Madinah Wilson-Anton was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives, while Iman Jodeh won a seat in Colorado’s house. In Florida, Christopher Benjamin was elected to the House of Representatives, and Mauree Turner was elected to the Oklahoma legislature. Samba Baldeh was elected to the Wisconsin’s State Assembly.
  2. Tori B. Powell (2020-11-04). "Five Muslim Lawmakers Elected in History-Making Result". Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-11-18. Christopher Benjamin was elected in Florida to represent the 107th District in the House of Representatives.
  3. "Christopher Benjamin". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  4. Delgado, Jason (2020-07-21). "Meet Christopher Benjamin, a Democrat running for House District 107". Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  5. "2020 Florida's 107th House district Democratic Primary Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com.


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