I first met Qasim in 2019 when he was running for the State Senate in Northern Virginia. I had just come off my own campaign and was exhausted from the 18 months of continuous campaigning and time spent away from my family. After meeting with Qasim, I felt refreshed and saw what real positive, progressive change looked like.

It’s easy to become jaded in 2020. Donald Trump has been president three years and we’ve seen the absolute worst of what politics has to offer. But Qasim has shown us a new way. Faced with discrimination and racism that I myself could never imagine, he still carries himself with a grace and composure that is a breath of fresh air in our new political reality. Donald Trump has given people a green light to act on their worst instincts, and instead of acting the same way, Qasim has confronted all this hate and bigotry with a new initiative; Compassion Through Action.

He recently made headlines for the incredible work he did to help a man with crippling medical debt. The catch is, this man had been openly hostile and Islamaphobic to him on social media. Yet instead of reacting like most of us would, by being justifiably angry, he realized this man probably needed help. He saw that he had a Go Fund Me to pay for his medical debt and asked his followers to chip in to pay it off. They did. And it was this act of compassion that helped this man realize that they had a lot more in common than they thought, and that when we love and care for each other, we can get through the darkest of times.

It’s this non-stop effort to help others that has drawn me to Qasim and his campaign. Typically known for his dad jokes on Twitter, his tweets take on a different tone during the holy month of Ramadan, where he shares on a daily basis what the fasting is really for; to understand the pain and suffering of those less fortunate and to open your heart to help.

Qasim has already shown that he’s willing to help those who are openly hostile to him, and I know that as our Congressman, he’d work to help every constituent of the 1st Congressional District. Even as a candidate, Qasim continues to use his platform to help others in the community. The Compassion Through Action initiative has helped provide masks to frontline workers in our community and he uses his large social media following to help spread helpful information during the COVID-19 pandemic. His town halls with Dr. Julia Biggins shows that he’s ready to represent the 1st Congressional District, all he needs is our help between now and November.

This election is the most consequential in a generation. Along with removing Donald Trump from office, we need to provide the next Democratic president with a Congress that will work in the best interest of the American people. The Republican Party has shown that they’re incapable of that. Qasim has shown that he’s ready.

I’m committed to electing a true progressive to represent the 1st Congressional District and I hope that you’ll join me, too. 

Edwin Santana is a former Marine and 2018 democratic candidate for Congress in VA01.