Raha for Dallas

Heads up — this is a long post:

To the residents of District 2 who voted for me, talked to me at their doors, invited me to sit on their porch, attended my events, and supported me along the way, THANK YOU endlessly. Meeting you and fighting to represent you was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I recognize that you took a chance on me as a new, young candidate. While so many people saw me as “different,” you all saw hope, competence, and change. Together, we built on the movement towards progressive, collaborative, community-centric leadership in Dallas, Texas. Through thousands of conversations, phone calls, emails, texts, zoom meetings, and forums, we helped chip away at the idea I heard too many times on the campaign trail that “the city doesn’t care about us.”

To every friend, family member, and stranger outside of who supported me, including my family in Iran, thank you. It wouldn’t have been possible without your support and encouragement every step of the way. I hope I made you proud. I’m honored to have even had the opportunity to run, and I recognize that this is a luxury I have in this country.

Congratulations to all four of my opponents for stepping up to do what most people wouldn’t dare to do, and congratulations to the two who made it to the run-off. No matter who you are, this is not an easy task and takes courage.

I decided to run for Dallas City Council because I was tired of seeing systemic inequality, continued underservice to the most marginalized communities, and institutional priorities that are not aligned with those of the community. I started and ended my campaign by saying I believe that we’re all born equal, but the resources, privileges, and opportunities we’re given in life are not. This notion is especially true here, in a city that offers so much to the people who need it the least. I came in knowing it would be hard as a 29 year-old political freshman, but I told myself I would be the most transparent and hardest working candidate in the race. In that regard, I feel that I accomplished my goal.

We spent the campaign talking to thousands of residents of District 2 to tell them about who I am/why I’m running, what city council does, and why it’s so important that they participate in the decision-making process. As we’ve seen in this recent election and ones before it, civic engagement in Dallas is dangerously low, and that is because people are distrustful of politicians and disenfranchised by government. This shows us that we’re missing the voices of the people we need to hear from the most.

There are two people left who are competing for the right to champion those unheard voices. I understand that one must win, and I believe there is one who is clearly the better option. I am very uniquely situated because I have interacted with these two candidates in a way most people have not. Throughout the election cycle, only one of these candidates has shown me and the communities of District 2 true decency and respect. Despite my initial thoughts, Jesse Moreno didn’t just coast on the endorsements and support he was grandfathered into; he worked for it. I ran into him on the campaign trail often and saw him work. More importantly, we deserve someone with honesty and integrity, not someone who pretends to have a progessive platform or abbreviates the presence of systemic racism in the city of Dallas. When I confronted Jesse about a campaign finance law loophole, he returned $11,000 to avoid any appearance of impropriety, and he has since pledged to advocate for closing that loophole, which I will hold him to. That is all we can ask for at this point. The other candidate did not handle confrontational moments on the campaign trail with the same level of honesty and integrity. Prior to publishing this statement, I met with Jesse to ask him several complex questions about various issues people have raised to me on the campaign trail that I also care a lot about. I took notes of his responses and made sure I was comfortable with his answers before making the decision to publicly support him. I’m happy to discuss his responses to anyone who asks, because you deserve to know. I will personally hold him accountable and remind him of our conversation while he serves for the next two years. The bottom line is he is the only true progessive candidate left in this race, and that is what District 2 needs.

If nothing else, Jesse will have an earful from me if he doesn’t stick to his word that he will effectuate positive change for those who need it most. I hope you all keep him accountable too. One thing I’m sure of with him (that I’m not sure of with the other runoff candidate) is that he will listen to you. For these reasons, I will vote for Jesse Moreno in the run-off election on June 5, 2021, and I encourage everyone who voted for me to do the same. Please reach out if you have any questions.

Again, thank you for your support, and please know I will continue fighting for a more equitable Dallas with or without the seat - this is only the beginning.

NOTICE 📣 Polls are closing soon! It's your last chance to vote before the ballots are counted! We need you, . Let's finish this Election Day strong!

TODAY is the last day of early voting in the City of elections! Polls are open until 7:00 PM. Find your voting location and mote at rahafordallas.com/vote. Please go out and cast your ballot for for . All Dallasites should have a say in how our local government is run!

Raha will champion the following:

💸 Economic Prosperity
🏘 Affordable Housing
🏪 Public Health & Safety
⚖ Social Justice
🔍 Transparency & Accountability
🌏 Environmental Justice