Madinah Wilson-Anton

Madinah Wilson-Anton (born 1993) is an American politician serving in the Delaware House of Representatives for district 26 as a Democrat. She is the first practicing Muslim elected to the Delaware General Assembly. She defeated incumbent John Viola in the Democratic primary and later won the general election for the seat in 2020.^[2]

Madinah Wilson-Anton
Member of the Delaware House of Representatives from the 26th district
Incumbent
Assumed office November 4, 2020[1]
Preceded by	John Viola
Personal details
Born	1993 (age 30–31)
Political party	Democratic
Other political affiliations	Democratic Socialists of America, Working Families Party
Spouse	Isaiah Anton
Residence(s)	Newark, Delaware, U.S.
Education	University of Delaware (BA, MPP)
Profession	Policy analyst

Early life and education

Wilson-Anton grew up in Newark, Delaware; she graduated from the Charter School of Wilmington before continuing on to the University of Delaware.^[2][3][4] In March 2017, CBSN quoted Wilson-Anton when the Biden Institute was founded at the University of Delaware.^[5] Wilson-Anton, then a graduate student, welcomed the move, stating that Biden's work had inspired her, and she planned to work in government upon graduation. In 2020, she earned a Master of Public Policy, also from the University of Delaware.^[6]

Career

Wilson-Anton worked as a legislative aide for two members of Delaware legislature, Earl Jaques of the 27th district, and John Viola of the 26th district.^[7] In October 2019 Jaques mocked Eric Morrison, his rival for the Democratic nomination for his seat, for holding a fundraiser where he performed as a drag queen. The News Journal republished a tweet in which Wilson-Anton criticized her former boss. Jaques formally apologized.

As a Legislature Fellow, she voiced disappointment after two legislators protested an Islamic prayer.^[8]

Delaware House of Representatives

2020 Delaware House campaign

Wilson-Anton's 2020 campaign focused on education, housing, and health care, and she has stated support for a state-level Green New Deal. Her campaign was endorsed by the Working Families Party.^[9] When Wilson-Anton announced she was competing for the Democratic nomination reporters noted that, if elected, she would be the first practicing Muslim to serve in the Delaware legislature.^[8][10]

She defeated 22-year incumbent representative John Viola in the primary election by 43 votes.^[11] Because the district is solidly-Democratic, Wilson-Anton won the November general election with minimal opposition and became the first practicing Muslim elected to Delaware's state legislature.^{[12][13][14][15]}

Christian Century noted that four other states elected their first Muslim legislators, in 2020.^[16] Iman Jodeh, Christopher Benjamin, Mauree Turner and Samba Baldeh were the first Muslim legislators in Colorado, Florida, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, respectively.

Tenure

Wilson-Anton's first bill expanded public school religious holiday policies to include minority faith holidays like Eid al-Fitr.^[17][18]

Along with State Senator Sarah McBride, Wilson-Anton called on fellow State Representative Gerald Brady to resign after he made racist comments toward Asian-Americans in a leaked email.^[19]

Wilson-Anton has called for a permanent cease-fire in the Israel–Hamas war.^[20] On December 11, 2023, she interrupted a speech by Vice President Kamala Harris, unfurling a sign reading “ceasefire” and shouting, "Did you know in Bethlehem, baby Jesus is under rubble? Why won’t you call for a cease-fire?"^[21][22] She has called President Joe Biden a "war criminal."^[23]

Electoral history

2020

Delaware House of Representatives District 26 Democratic Primary, 2020^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Madinah Wilson-Anton	1,276	42.68
	Democratic	John Viola (incumbent)	1,233	41.24
	Democratic	Gabriel Olawale Adelagunja	481	16.09
Total votes			2,990	100.0

Delaware House of Representatives District 26 General Election, 2020^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Madinah Wilson-Anton	6,930	71.57
	Republican	Timothy Conrad	2,753	28.43
Total votes			9,683	100.0

References

1. Bittle, Matt (January 12, 2021). "General Assembly kicks off, swearing in members virtually". Delaware State News.
2. Aris Folley (March 21, 2020). "Madinah Wilson-Anton one step closer to becoming Delaware's first practicing Muslim lawmaker". The Hill. Archived from the original on October 5, 2020.
3. "About Madinah". Madinah Wilson-Anton. n.d. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
4. "Meet The Black Woman Who Just Became The First Muslim Elected to Office in Delaware's 233-Year History". BOTWC. September 24, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
5. Anita Oh (March 13, 2017). "University Of Delaware Launches Biden Institute". CBSN. Philadelphia. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2020. 'I think Biden coming here will help bring awareness to public administration and what we do,' said graduate student Madinah Wilson-Anton.
6. Dem, Delaware (September 18, 2019). "A Primary for the 26th RD?". Blue Delaware. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
7. Sarah Gamard (October 23, 2019). "Rep. Jaques apologizes for 'insensitive' comments about opponent's drag show fundraiser". The News Journal. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2020. Madinah Wilson-Anton, who used to work as Jaques' legislative aide and is running in a separate House race in 2020, tweeted about Jaques' original comments to The News Journal on Wednesday.
8. Marisa Harczuk (October 19, 2020). "Madinah Wilson-Anton defeats 11-term incumbent in primaries, would be first Muslim Delaware State Rep if elected in November". University of Delaware Review. Retrieved October 22, 2020. If elected, Wilson-Anton will be the first practicing Muslim to become a member of the Delaware General Assembly. Previously, she was a legislative fellow in the state legislature and a legislative aide for both the 26th and 27th districts. She said she knows what it feels like to be discriminated against and is happy and fortunate to stand up for others that have been put in similar situations.
9. Schmidt, Sophia (September 16, 2020). "Diverse slate of progressive candidates upsets Democratic incumbent lawmakers". www.delawarepublic.org. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
10. Randall Chase (October 20, 2020). "Delaware Senate race conjures comparison with 2010 campaign". Tulsa World. Dover, Delaware. Retrieved October 22, 2020. Former legislative aide Madinah Wilson-Anton defeated a House lawmaker who'd held office for 22 years and could become the first Muslim elected to the General Assembly.
11. Josh Shannon (September 16, 2020). "Progressive challengers unseat two longtime Newark-area Democrats". Newark Post. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020.
12. "Meet The Black Woman Who Just Became The First Muslim Elected to Office in Delaware's 233-Year History". BOTWC. 24 September 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
13. Folley, Aris (September 21, 2020). "Madinah Wilson-Anton one step closer to becoming Delaware's first practicing Muslim lawmaker". The Hill. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
14. Grim, Ryan; Higgins, Eoin (September 15, 2020). "A Slate of Insurgents Is Taking on the "Delaware Way" [Updated With Results]". The Intercept. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
15. "Progressive candidates in Delaware take on veteran Democrats". AP News. September 12, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
16. Dawn Araujo-Hawkins (2020-11-16). "Religious diversity in the election". Christian Century. Retrieved 2020-11-18. More than 100 Muslims ran for office this year, and five states elected their first Muslim state lawmakers. Madinah Wilson-Anton was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives, while Iman Jodeh won a seat in Colorado's house. In Florida, Christopher Benjamin was elected to the House of Representatives, and Mauree Turner was elected to the Oklahoma legislature. Samba Baldeh was elected to the Wisconsin's State Assembly.
17. Asif, Yusra (August 2, 2021). "Legislation offers relief to Delaware students observing religious holidays". Delaware News Journal. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
18. Battaglia, Roman (June 27, 2021). "Religious excused absences expanded in public schools under new law". Delaware Public Radio. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
19. Battaglia, Roman (July 31, 2021). "Some Democratic lawmakers calling for one of their own to step down immediately". Delaware Public Radio. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
20. Edelen, Joseph (November 27, 2023). "Delaware lawmaker joins hunger strike for cease-fire in Gaza". Daily State News. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
21. Patrick, Holly (December 13, 2023). "Kamala Harris confronted by Democrat state rep over ceasefire during holiday party at her home". The Independent. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
22. Nava, Victor (December 13, 2023). "Kamala Harris heckled by Democratic state lawmaker demanding Gaza cease-fire during holiday party speech". New York Post. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
23. @MadinahForDE (April 2, 2024). "Biden is a war criminal" (Tweet). Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via Twitter.
24. "2020 State Primary Election Report". Delaware.gov.
25. "2020 General Election Report". Delaware.gov.

External links

• Legislature website
• Campaign website