Abdi Warsame

Abdi Warsame
File:Abdi Warsame.jpg Warsame in 2014
Member of the Minneapolis City Council from the 6th Ward
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2, 2014
Preceded by	Robert Lilligren
Constituency	Ward 6 of Minneapolis
Personal details
Born	March 5, 1978 Mogadishu, Somalia
Political party	Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Married
Children	One son & two daughters
Residence	Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Alma mater	Middlesex University University of Greenwich
Religion	Sunni Muslim
Website	Official website

Abdi Warsame (Somali: Cabdi Warsame, Arabic: عبدي وارسام‎‎) (born 1978) is a Somali-American politician and member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In November 2013, he was elected to the Minneapolis City Council, becoming the first Somali to be elected to the position.

Personal life

Warsame was born on March 5, 1978 in Mogadishu, Somalia. In the late 1980s, along with his family, Warsame moved to London.

Warsame earned a B.S. in Business from the Middlesex University. He also holds a Master's degree in International Business from the University of Greenwich.

In 2006, Warsame settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has three children who were all born in Minneapolis. Warsame is a resident of the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, which is home to the largest concentration of Somalis outside of East Africa

Career

Early career

File:Abdi Warsame .jpg

Warsame was the founder and spokesperson for the Citizen's Committee for Fair Redistricting, which took part in the redistricting process that aimed to create a more equitable and representative political map of Minneapolis, with the intent to create better opportunities for all residents of the City. The Citizen's Committee lobbying was a historic success and today's current map of the City including Wards 6 and 9 are a testament to their hard work.

After emerging as a strong voice in the community, Warsame was urged by friends and neighbors to run for public office. With their support, Warsame was elected to the Minneapolis City Council in November 2013. In winning the seat, Warsame became the first Somali-American elected to the council and the first in the nation to win a municipal election.

Warsame chaired the Cedar Riverside-Neighborhood Revitalization Program and served as Executive Director of the Riverside Plaza Tenants Association.

Minneapolis City Council

File:Warsame's victory speech.jpg

Warsame's victory speech in 2013

Warsame ran in the 2013 Minneapolis municipal elections to represent Ward 6 on the Minneapolis City Council. Prior to the ballot, he had urged the Minneapolis Charter Commission to redraw the municipality's political districts so as to maximize the East African community's vote. The commission concurred and established a number of new precincts in Ward 6.

Somali-American professionals contributed significantly to Warsame's election campaign. Fundraising totals show that Warsame was among Minneapolis's top tier of successful fundraisers. Warsame's historic election set civic precedence in the East-African-American community of Minneapolis, in which his campaign energized and mobilized this sub-community's powerful voting bloc.

On November 5, 2013, Warsame was elected to represent the predominantly East-African-American Ward 6 on the Minneapolis City Council, including winning in his rival's own neighborhood. Warsame's landslide victory, which garnered nearly double the votes of his rival, was also supported by the mainstream constituents of Ward 6. Upon victory, Warsame is quoted as saying "we had a message, an inclusive message, a message that resonated with the voters of Ward 6." He was the first-choice preference of 64% of voters.

The Star Tribune, Minnesota's largest newspaper, noted Warsame's stature by stating "there is the work of being one of the most prominent Somali-Americans in the country, at a time when the Somali community is making inroads in politics, business and education — but also pushing back against a wave of news about young Somalis trying to link up with terrorist groups overseas. In between council meetings and city business, Warsame’s calendar is filled with visits from East African dignitaries, trips to other Somali communities in the United States and casual conversations with people who need help with problems large and small."

In addition, Warsame has been at the forefront of fighting against violent extremist ideology which dismally effects the Somali-American community. Politico interviewed the Councilmember and it stated that "Abdi Warsame might be the only city council member in the nation who lies awake at night thinking about how to fight ISIL."

Electoral history

Minneapolis City Council Ward 6 election, 2013
Political party/principle		Candidate	% 1st Choice	Round 1
	DFL	Abdi Warsame	63.92	3,090
	DFL	Robert Lilligren	32.21	1,557
	DFL	Abdi Addow	1.80	87
	DFL	Sheikh Abdul	0.81	39
	DFL	Mahamed A Cali	0.52	25
	DFL	Abukar Abdi	0.41	20
	N/A	Write-in	0.33	16
Maximum possible threshold: 2,526 Valid: 4,834 Undervotes: 205 Turnout: 5,051

External links

• Campaign website