Abdelnasser Rashid Explained

Abdelnasser Rashid is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 21st district. The district includes the Southwest Side and southwest suburbs.^[1]

Rashid is the first Palestinian-American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly and is its first Muslim member, along with Nabeela Syed.^[2]

Early life and education

Rashid was born in Chicago, Illinois. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Economics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.^[3]

Career

Rashid worked on Chuy García's 2015 mayoral campaign and on Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign. He also served as deputy chief of staff to Cook County Clerk David Orr, for two years.^[4]

In 2018, Rashid unsuccessfully ran for Cook County Commission. In 2020, he ran for Cook County Board of Review, also unsuccessfully.^[5]

Rashid had been advised to change his name to "Nas" and downplay his background in order to appeal to voters with prejudices against Arabs or perceived foreigners.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Editorial: Choices for the Illinois House primary: L. Jimenez, Peters, Rabbitt, Stoneback, LaPointe, Rashid . 2023-02-02 . Chicago Tribune. 20 June 2022 .
2. Web site: 2022-11-10 . Asian Americans are making a big mark in Illinois politics . 2023-02-02 . Chicago Sun-Times . en.
3. Web site: Illinois General Assembly - Representative Biography . 2023-02-02 . www.ilga.gov.
4. Web site: Dukmasova . Maya . 2018-10-31 . Q&A: Cook County Board candidate Abdelnasser Rashid on taxes, surveillance, and campaign finance reform . 2023-02-02 . Chicago Reader . en-US.
5. Web site: Kapos . Shia . A progressive bump in the burbs . 2023-02-02 . POLITICO . 15 July 2022 . en.