COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Somali community in Columbus has nearly 60,000 residents, the second largest in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Somali-born candidates Ismail Mohamed, who is running for Ohio House District 3 this November, and Munira Abdullahi, who is running for Ohio House District 9, could make history. If they are successful this November, they would be the first Somali Americans to serve in the Ohio legislature.
Mohamed earned his law degree from Ohio State University. In his practice, the father of two specializes in immigration, personal injury, housing issues and criminal justice reform. He's running for Ohio House District 3.
“A lot of these issues revolve around legislation and bills, and I felt like running for Ohio Legislative House would be the best thing for me,” said Mohamed.
He was born in Somalia and fled to Kenya during the country's civil war before immigrating to the United States in 2005 with his family for new opportunities.
Seventeen years later, he's hoping to make a difference as a politician running in Ohio's 3rd District.
“We're business leaders. We are folks that we want to be a part of the American family that are contributing members of society, and I think that the biggest thing that I would promote is, you know, for people to integrate more,” said Mohamed.
Abdullahi has a similar background, as she was born in a refugee camp in Kenya and also won her primary in August — a landslide victory in District 9.
Abdullahi, who will not face a Republican challenger, is a believer in the expansion of Medicaid, using clean energy, and like Mohamed, investing in affordable housing in Columbus.
“Really, I'm a big advocate for having fair and equitable education for all schools. Facilities should be updated. Teachers should be paid more. Students should have quality education despite where they live,” said Abdullahi.
Both Mohamed, who previously ran in 2018, and Abdullahi said they're pushing for each other to win in November's general election.
Both said they're proud of the possibility of becoming the first Somali Americans in the Ohio legislature and they hope to inspire others.
“My job has been largely as a youth director, so this is like a great opportunity to inspire them to get involved in the community and realize that they can make a change and that they can make a difference,” said Abdullahi.
“I certainly wanted to aim high and get an education and reach for the stars and really be a part of the American family. So I can then lend a hand to other immigrants and others behind me that are now going through that same process that I did,” said Mohamed.
The Ohio General Election takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Mohamed will face Republican challenger Josiah Lanning in District 3. Abdullahi defeated Democrat Paul Filippelli in the primary election and is unopposed in the general election.