Maryam Abolfazli aims to go from activist to Congress
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: courtesy of Maryam Abolfazli campaign
As recently as February, activist Maryam Abolfazli had no plans to run for public office.
- Two years of failure to pass meaningful gun reforms left Abolfazli disenchanted with political leadership at the Tennessee Capitol and in Washington, D.C.
Why it matters: Abolfazli tells Axios those frustrations combined with scrutiny surrounding U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles' campaign finances led her run for office herself. She now represents Democrats' hopes of flipping Ogles' District 5 congressional seat.
Flashback: Abolfazli's public service had a global focus early in her career. She worked for the United Nations, the World Bank and the Eurasia Foundation on issues ranging from water infrastructure to economic development.
- A Nashville native and Hume-Fogg High School grad, she returned to Nashville several years ago to raise her son.
- Closer to home, she helped lead the nonprofit organization AWAKE, which backs policies to boost women and children. Abolfazli was also appointed to the board of the city's Human Relations Commission.
What she's saying: The 2023 shooting at The Covenant School inspired Abolfazli to take up the issue of gun control.
- She helped organize a rally at the capital in the wake of the shooting last year, and throngs of people attended. "It was totally crowdsourced. Then, lo and behold, like 3,000 people show up. Students are getting involved. It was a very active, very dynamic gathering."
Zoom in: Abolfazli launched her own nonprofit Rise and Shine TN, which encourages civic engagement around the issues of "freedom, safety and opportunity."
State of play: While Abolfazli drew people to the cause and found herself frequently quoted in the media, the activism did not lead to legislative changes she and others sought.
- "When your voices are not being heard, and you have this representative (Ogles) who is unethical both in lies and in failing to bring any solutions for the district, I thought, 'I gotta run now.'"
Reality check: Ogles survived a legitimate primary challenge from Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston to put himself in strong position for re-election.
- It's unclear what impact the federal probe will have on the race in November.
- Ogles says he made errors on his financial disclosures, which he's attempted to correct by filing a series of amendments to his previous campaign reports.
The big picture: District 5 was formerly a Democratic stronghold composed primarily of Davidson County. But state Republicans redrew the district to include suburban and rural counties outside Nashville, giving the GOP an apparent advantage.
The bottom line: "Two things really drive me," Abolfazli says. "Right now, my son, he's 6. What is my answer to him 20 years from now when he says, 'They could come shoot us at any time, and what did you do about it?'"
- "The second thing is, I was born and raised here. I love it here, and I love the people here. I chose to move back here. The so-called representation we're getting is not a representation that is true to us."