Saddam Azlan Salim
Bangladeshi American politician (born 1990)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saddam Azlan Salim (born January 1, 1990) is an American Democratic politician in Virginia. He was born in Bangladesh. He was elected to the Virginia Senate in the 2023 Virginia Senate election from the 37th district.[1]
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Saddam Salim | |
|---|---|
Salim in 2023 | |
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the 37th district | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Chap Petersen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 1, 1990 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | |
| Website | Campaign website |
He is a first-generation immigrant from Bangladesh.[2] Prior to running for office, Saddam served as the South Asians for State Co-Director for Virginia with Delegate Kannan Srinivasan.[3]
Early life and education
Saddam was born in Noakhali, Bangladesh and attended Falls Church High School where he was a track and field athlete and president of his class. During his senior year of high school, his mother's health issues required surgery, and given the financial difficulties his family faced he gave up college out of state instead to attend Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University.[1]
While in college, he also went back to serve as assistant coach for track & field at his high school. He graduated from George Mason University in 2012 with Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and a Master’s in Public Administration in 2015.[4]
Virginia State Senate
2023 primary
Salim announced his candidacy in 2023 against incumbent Democrat Chap Petersen, who represented the 34th District which had been redistricted to the 37th, since 2011.
Petersen faced several controversies, including his support of Confederate statues,[5] defense of the team name of the Washington Redskins, and breaking with party ranks to defeat an assault weapons ban. In 2020, Petersen had also faced criticism for his statements on The John Fredericks Show when discussing Jim Crow laws, when he said "Look, there were some bad decisions made, but at least they had a school system, ok, at least they had a functioning school system".[6]
On June 21, Salim pulled an upset, defeating Petersen 54%-45%.[7]
2023 general election
On November 7, Salim defeated Ken Reid in a 68%-30% victory.[1]
He was considered by the media as a potential candidate to succeed Gerry Connolly in 2026.[8] After his death in May 2025, Salim declined to be a candidate in the special election instead endorsing Stella Pekarsky.[9]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Saddam Salim | 10,477 | 54.1 | |
| Democratic | Chap Petersen | 8,880 | 45.9 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Saddam Salim | 40,947 | 68.7 | |
| Republican | Ken Reid | 18,427 | 30.9 | |