Pakistani American Representation #Midterm Elections2018
By Ameena M Zia
St Louis
With political parties at the center of traditional American politics, political gatekeeping and coalition building have faithfully acted as conduits to representation. The mandate to serve the public through a principal-agent relation has guided politicians with a focus on constituent preferences and demands. However, in the recent political environment of populist demands, political actors have found themselves negotiating within confines of the harsh rhetoric of exclusivity.
Since democracies are meant to secure inclusive representation, this disparity between those excluded from, and those included on, the political agenda has pushed minorities to secure political representation, including Pakistani Americans.
The US #MidtermElections2018 were closely observed by political analysts as candidates across the country unapologetically pushed gender, religion and culture to the forefront of their political campaigns. Immigrants and women, through participation, navigated and challenged the status-quo of the inner dimensions of political recruitment and gatekeeping, transcended traditional expectations, and claimed space within American politics.
The Pakistani Americans are certainly not new to the game of political and civic engagement. Through the decades, the community has continued to establish political action committees (PACs), support local to national campaigns, foster dialogue with legislators on Capitol Hill, and facilitate cultural and education exchanges.
These efforts have helped cultivate a certain political identity which resulted in increased collective mobilization of #get out the vote campaigns and #voterregistration drives and strategically organized campaign contributions. This mobilization, organization and facilitation of Pakistani Americans towards active participation is attributed to the need to secure rights, safety and voice, and most recently, due to the growing polarized and anxious political climate.
The increase in number of Pakistani Americans, who filed and ran for office and who secured party nominations (for races ranging from local to national) in the #MidtermElections2018, marks an evolution in the diaspora’s political engagement. Regardless of the election outcomes, majority of Pakistani American candidates successfully navigated the entrenched party system by securing nominations and paving the way for more inclusive agenda setting through party structures. This increase in political participation suggests the relatively young diaspora’s integration into mainstream dialogue and decision-making. From the diverse makeup of California and New Jersey to the politically entrenched cultures of Tennessee and Texas, and each place in between, Pakistani-American candidates relied on grassroots networks an dalliances around issues of healthcare, social justice, immigration, civil liberties, and economy.
As Pakistani Americans evolve in political representation (both from the periphery of mobilization campaigns towards active engagement of contesting elections) they continue to change paradigms of expectations and, as minority participants, help move American society towards a more inclusive political space.
(The writer is a PhD Candidate, Political Science at the University of Missouri St Louis and a former political appointee of St. Louis County Government. Daily Times)
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