Atif Qarni

Atif Mustafa Qarni (born 1978) is an American teacher, former military non-commissioned officer, and Democratic politician who was appointed by Governor Ralph Northam as Virginia Secretary of Education.

Early life and education Emigrating from Karachi, Pakistan, with his family at the age of ten, Qarni grew up in Parkville, Maryland, before moving to Manassas, Virginia, in 2005.

Career He served in the United States Marine Corps, was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and rose to the rank of Sergeant. and for the Virginia Senate in 2015, losing the Democratic nomination to Jeremy McPike. He was appointed as the Virginia Secretary of Education by governor Ralph Northam in 2017. In 2021, he resigned from the cabinet position to become the managing director of external affairs at Temple University’s Hope Center. In 2024, he ran in the Democratic primary for Virginia's 10th congressional district, placing third.

Electoral history