Nida Allam

Nida Allam (born December 15, 1993) is an American politician, political activist, and data analyst. She has served on the Durham County Board of Commissioners since December 2020, making her the first Muslim woman to serve in public office in North Carolina. She challenged Foushee a second time in 2026, losing by a narrow margin.

Early life and education Allam was born on December 15, 1993, in Ottawa, Canada. Allam has two older sisters. served as the Chair of the Women's Committee at their mosque. While at university, she founded the NC State For Bernie Club and became co-chair of the Triangle For Bernie Club. She had been a bridesmaid at Abu-Salha's wedding that December. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Justice also launched their own investigations into the shooting. Federal authorities could not find sufficient evidence to charge the assailant, Craig Stephen Hicks, with a hate crime. Allam became involved in the grassroots movement and worked as a political director for U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign, as well as an organizing director for Justice Cheri Beasley's campaign for the North Carolina Supreme Court. She was the 2016 Political Director in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey and New York for Sanders' presidential campaign. , she has chaired the Durham County Commission.

She is a 2019 alumna of Durham's chapter of the New Leaders Council.

Initial runs for office Allam decided to run for public office after having worked behind the scenes in the progressive movement and with voter mobilization efforts because she believed there needed to be more progressive candidates representing the diversity of the American people. She also served as a delegate at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Durham County Board of Commissioners Allam was elected to the Durham County Board of Commissioners in 2020 with endorsements from the Durham Association of Educators, Equality North Carolina, and the People's Alliance PAC. When Allam announced her candidacy for Durham County Commissioner, her family members received Islamophobic hate mail via social media platforms. Upon her election, she became the first Muslim woman to hold an elected office in North Carolina. She received 39,523 votes in the primary election and 122,947 votes in the general election, finishing ahead of all other candidates. Her election was celebrated by the Council on American–Islamic Relations and Muslim Advocates. both of whom endorsed Allam's candidacy.

Voters reported getting "Islamophobic" push polls and Allam subsequently received death threats. Allam ultimately lost the primary to her more moderate opponent, Valerie Foushee, by 9 points. While Allam received endorsements in her race from progressives, Foushee received millions of dollars in funds and assistance from pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC, DMFI and Sam Bankman-Fried's Protect Our Future PAC, prompting allegations that Foushee's campaign had succeeded primarily due to support from dark money as the race became "the most expensive Democratic congressional primary in North Carolina history".

2026 congressional candidacy

In the summer of 2025, Allam participated in protests against United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), criticizing the United States Department of Homeland Security's law enforcement agency for "spreading fear" throughout her community. She was filmed in public confronting federal agents attempting to detain one of her constituents.

On December 11, 2025, Allam announced that she would run in North Carolina's 4th congressional district in the 2026 elections in a primary challenge against incumbent Democratic representative Valerie Foushee. Allam said, "We need elected leaders and just community members taking to the streets, standing up for each other. And again, a letter or a tweet is not gonna do that. The fact that our current representative doesn’t even say that we need to abolish ICE is terrifying to me". American Priorities, a pro-Palestine super PAC created to counter the influence of the pro-Israel group AIPAC, spent over $1 million to support Allam's candidacy. AIPAC had supported Foushee in previous elections, but Foushee had since disavowed the group.

Hundreds of voters in the town of Apex sent a letter to both candidates asking them to oppose a proposed data center due to concerns about water use and rising electricity bills. Allam was the only candidate who declared that she was against the data center and she proposed a data center construction moratorium until federal AI regulations were passed. She stated that she would reject any Super PAC spending from AI or data center companies. However, Allam conceded defeat to Foushee on March 4, 2026.

Political views Allam ran for Durham County Commissioner on a platform centered on addressing economic inequality. Campaign priorities included a $15 minimum wage for county workers, boosting mental health services in schools and investing in businesses run by women and people of color.

She believes that charter schools have increased racial segregation in Durham schools. In 2021, Allam wrote an op-ed saying that she was in favor of "a movement for justice and peace, in which anti-Semitism must have no home" and that "we cannot sit by while our Jewish neighbors are under attack; we must stand in solidarity with them and unequivocally condemn anti-Semitism and bigotry in all its forms".

Personal life She lives in Durham with her husband, Towqir Aziz, and two dogs named Otis and Nala. She and Aziz met in a Muslim Sunday school. In April 2022, Allam announced that she was pregnant. Allam had also been pregnant in 2021, but had an abortion due to medical issues.

Electoral history