A Democratic U.S. House candidate alleges that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) advised him to end his campaign, telling him that “a Muslim cannot win this race,” the Washington Post reported Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for Reid told the Post that the senator never said that, however.
Jesse Sbaih, who immigrated from Jordan and is a trial lawyer, told the newspaper that he met with Reid in August while seeking the minority leader’s support for his campaign. Sbaih, who is running for office for the first time, alleged that Reid didn’t give his support, citing Sbaih’s religion.
“He said, ‘You should not run for this office,’” Sbaih told the Post. “I did not feel that this was an issue. They made it an issue. My campaign is about me being an American.”
Reid’s spokeswoman, Kristen Orthman, confirmed to the newspaper that Reid met with Sbaih but denied that Reid said Sbaih would lose the race because of his religion.
“Senator Reid did not say that,” Orthman told the Post. “Jesse Sbaih is a liar and that’s why he is going to lose.”
“We never said he shouldn’t run for elected office,” she added. “It was that, to run for a congressional seat, your first time, you’re going to lose. And you need more experience.”
The Post reported that Sbaih provided emails and text messages with Reid allies to bolster his account, but noted those messages did not show the minority leader or his allies referring to Sbaih’s race or religion as an obstacle in the House race.
I don’t know whether Reid said that or not but…the guy got his name out there regardless…that’s worth some money.
Sounds like a miscommunication, or rather a case of the Senators office offering brutal honesty when a tad more tact would have been better.
That having been said, when faced with a candidate who is a nut job (I mean believes in a god), I tend to look for evidence first that he or she can separate religion from politics. I am more likely to vote for an Islamic nut job Dem than a Christian one, but both better make it damn clear that they have no plans to stone a guy for sucking another man’s penis.
The reason, by the way, that I trust a Muslim Democrat is that by choosing to be a democrat they are showing a willingness to compromise their religious beliefs for the sack of party and country.
Yikes - I really need more info on this situation than the article provides. To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if a Muslim running for office for the first time would have problems in NV. But I’d like to know what part of NV he’s in? Who are the constituents there? Is he in a primary with other Dems? The fact that he provided copies of messages in which his religion wasn’t cited tells me the guy is itching for a fight that doesn’t exist but gets him name exposure.
I don’t know what was said or not said, but a couple questions:
So why can’t he run anyway with or without Reid’s support? I know Reid has great influence in Nevada, but he, himself, barely won the Senate election last time. He can still try to garner favor with other power brokers in the Nevada state party, but if he can’t find any to back him…then his chances at winning are very low.
Why go public, especially without incontrovertible evidence? He just burned his bridges with the state party, I imagine, and will be hard pressed winning a nomination for anything going forward.