Amani Al-Khatahtbe, Founder Of Muslim Girl, Announces She's Running For Congress

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could be getting some much-needed help in Congress. Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, founder of MuslimGirl.com, announced today that she is running for office. The 27-year-old is seeking to represent New Jersey's 6th Congressional District and will be challenging Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone, a 16-term incumbent and chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Al-Khatahtbeh is the first Muslim woman to run for federal office in the state of New Jersey, and is also, so far, the youngest woman to run for Congress. She is a first-generation American and the daughter of an immigrant and a refugee.

"This moment is a stark reminder that we can no longer wait for incremental change. Our leadership can and must put the health and well-being of working families and the most vulnerable among us front and center," Al-Khatahtbeh said in a press release. "I'm proud to represent a coalition of underrepresented communities in what's nothing less than a historic fight for our lives."

Due to New Jersey's statewide shelter-in-place order, Al-Khatahtbeh, a native New Jerseyan and graduate of Rutgers University's school of political science, will be running her campaign entirely digitally. According to the press release, the media mogul is launching a "Campaign Quaran-Tour" that includes a livestream schedule "with issue-based local and national organizations to facilitate conversations to reach as many people as possible." Some of the platforms that Al-Khatahtbeh is supporting include the Green New Deal, Medicare For All, student debt forgiveness, and more.