DEARBORN-The General Elections in the city of Dearborn  has now become a historic moment as Sam Salamey is officially named the new 19th District Court Judge, beating incumbent Richard Wygonik by over 4,000 votes. The victory means that Salamey is now the first ever Arab American judge in the city of Dearborn, a step in the right direction for a community that represents close to 45 percent of the city’s population. 

Hundreds of Salamey supporters and campaigners gathered at the LaPita restaurant located on Michigan Ave. as they awaited for the results for the 19th District Court Judge race. As the night moved forward, the crowd of supporters became more hyped when it was estimated that Salamey was ahead of incumbent Richard Wygonik by over 2,800 votes when only 56% of the vote had been counted. Salamey still remained cautious, telling the crowd that the Absentee Ballots had still not been counted. It is estimated that close to 9,000 Absentee Ballots were cast this year in the city, an all time record.

Salamey’s campaign is a huge part of the reason why Absentee Votes were higher this time out. Beginning in October, his campaign encouraged many  Arab American citizens to vote through the Absentee process if they were incapable of standing in long lines or were expected to travel to Hajj. The campaign estimates that approximately 1,500 supporters placed their votes early, giving them some assurance in a category that’s typically dominated by senior citizens who usually vote for the incumbent.

After Salamey’s win became official, he thanked his crowd of supporters for a job well done.

“This victory is your victory. This victory is dedicated to everyone who helped with this campaign. No matter how successful one individual is, without a collaborative effort with everyone this room it would’ve have been impossible to cross this finish line. So congratulate yourselves first and congratulate me second,” Salamey told the crowd. 

More details on the voter turn out and overall results for the election will be reported by The Arab American News in this week’s upcoming issue.