Candidate Profile: Ibraheem Samirah For VA House Of Delegates

HERNDON, VA — Democrat Ibraheem Samirah is the 29-year-old incumbent in the 86th District of the Virginia House of Delegates. Samirah was originally elected during the February 2019 special election and was re-elected to serve his first full term the following November.

In the June 8 primary, voters living in the 86th District will have a chance to decide whether Samirah or challenger Irene Shin will be the Democratic candidate on the ballot for the Nov. 2 general election. Early voting is already underway.

Patch asked each of the candidates running in the Democratic primary to fill out the following profile:

Candidate Name

Ibraheem Samirah

Age (as of Election Day)

29

Position sought:

Delegate of the 86th District

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Sima Srouri, 54 years old, Fairfax county school teacher

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Doctor of Dental Medicine

Occupation

Dentist, 4 years of experience

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Delegate of the 86th District

Campaign website

samirah4delegate.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I believe that we need strong progressive representation to lead Virginia into a future where healthcare is a human right at no cost, quality, affordable housing is attainable for all, with a healthy democracy at the core. I am dedicated to delivering results for my constituents.

The single most pressing issue facing our district is income inequality, and this is what I intend to do about it.

With rising rents, stagnant wages, and ever increasing food, health, and child costs many of my constituents feel left behind and forgotten by their elected representatives, and I am dedicated to being that ear that listens and does something to improve their quality of life. That is why I introduced and passed legislation to expand medicaid to children of separated parents, and that is why I continue to plan to fight for an immediate $15 minimum wage raise, expanded quality, affordable housing near public transit, ensuring universal healthcare for all Virginians, and strengthening our workers' organizing rights by repealing the Jim Crow-era so called "right to work" laws.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

II know that the challenges facing our nation and Commonwealth require real, comprehensive action NOW. I know that challenges facing my generation like the climate crisis, income inequality, affordable housing shortages, a failing healthcare system, and systemic racism cannot be solved by half-measures; which is why I support a Virginian Green New Deal, repealing the Jim Crow-era "right to work" laws, ensuring quality, affordable housing near job centers, for all, and providing universal, quality, affordable healthcare as a human right at no cost.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I was the first elected representative to call for a special session to address the effects of the coming pandemic on it's first day, March 9th, 2020, the final day of the 2020 General Session, and I believe that if we had responded quicker to that call than August of 2020, Virginia would have had less long term effects of the pandemic to deal with, but I believe our leaders did an effective job of controlling and mitigating the pandemic. I was assigned to the committee charged with leading the vaccine distribution and through the efforts made there by myself and colleagues Virginia is now a top-tier state in the nation for percentage of shots administered to adults.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I believe only through an intersecting policy approach can we lift up Virginians on the margins. Black, brown, and low-income individuals have been ignored too long by a political system that disfranchises their votes and voices. That is why I have introduced legislation to reform Virginian campaign election law to prohibit campaign contributions from harmful public service corporations, and I have sworn off all corporate campaign donations this campaign and every campaign to come

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I introduced and passed legislation that expanded medicaid access to 52,000 more Virginian children, I worked to ensure that Virginians could get the vaccine they need to help the Commonwealth move beyond the pandemic, and I've passed legislation that brings together a working group to address the affordable housing crisis facing the State and provide a report on the best actions possible to take to ensure more quality affordable housing as we move through this decade we are in.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Be bold and unapologetic about the truth, because even if the truth is difficult to swallow, it sets me free to do what is right.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I believe that only through listening and representing my constituents can I be an effective public servant, which is why my office has dedicated itself to providing assistance through the pandemic for my constituents, informing the public about the efforts and actions of their elected representatives, and ensuring that I remain committed to their interests and not those of corporations and the uber wealthy.

Related:

Candidate Profile: Irene Shin For VA House Of Delegates