New MDP chair Brandon Dillon (C) with the head of the Dearborn Democratic Club Sami Khaldi and his wife Sahar Khaldi, who is also a political activist.

PORT HURON — The Michigan Democratic Party elected a new chairperson at its annual convention in Port Huron on July 11. The gathering also solidified the role of Arab Americans within the party.

State Rep. Brandon Dillon of Grand Rapids was elected as the chair of the MDP. He will replace Lon Johnson, who is running for Congress in the First Congressional District.

The number of Arab American “officers at large”— those who serve as the executive committee of the party— increased; and Fay Beydoun was named to succeed the retiring Ismael Ahmad as the third vice chair of the MDP.

Another Beydoun— political architect Mallak Beydoun— was selected to replace Ahmad as the head of the party’s Arab American Caucus. Political parties have caucuses representing different ethnic, religious, ideological and age-based groups. They are tasked with rallying individuals in those demographics to vote in favor of the parties’ candidates and agenda.

According to Fay Beydoun, six Arab Americans are on the MDP’s executive committee, including herself and attorneys Nabih Ayad and Zena El Hassan. There are 62 officers in total.

Arab Americans involved in the MDP told The Arab American News that they aim to increase the community’s voter turnout.

Mallak Beydoun was the campaign manager for both Dearborn Chief Judge Sam Salamey and City Council President Susan Dabaja. She also served as a senior political advisor to U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell and Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.

Beydoun said she has big shoes to fill; Ahmad had been the chair of the caucus for almost three decades.

“I am the second person ever to be the chair of the Arab American Democratic Caucus,” she told The Arab American News. “I take great pride in my role as the Arab American Caucus chair. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue and build upon the efforts of Ismael Ahmed; and I also look to pave a new path for Arab Americans to be a part of the democratic process.”

While local Arabs have overwhelmingly favored the Democratic Party in recent elections, where the likes of Dingell and Sen. Gary Peters received more than 90 percent of the vote in Dearborn’s predominantly Arab precincts, the community’s low voter turnout limits its influence on elections.

Mallak Beydoun said she plans to help increase the community’s turnout at the polls by using education and advocacy to highlight the importance of voting and to reiterate information about the candidates and the party’s platform.

“People want to engage in the voting process,” she said. “They just need to be reminded how important it is to exercise their right to vote; and we need to remember how significant the Arab American community is. We really have the ability to influence the process.”

She added that the responsibility of “politicos” like herself is to provide people in the community with the tools and education in a way that speaks to them.

Since the election of George H. W. Bush in 1988, Democratic presidential candidates have won Michigan in every national race.

Beydoun said her background as a campaign manager has taught her that nothing can be taken for granted.

“We need to get organized and drive voter turnout throughout Michigan and make sure that Michigan remains blue,” she said. “Because when we vote, we win.”

Fay Beydoun, who is a business advocate, also stressed the importance of motivating the community to vote. 

“Voting is our way to be a part of the decision-making process,” she said.

Fay Beydoun also praised the MDP’s efforts to involve minorities in its leadership.

“The party has shown a very good commitment to diversity and inclusion,” she said. “This is highlighted by the number of Arab Americans we have on the executive committee.”

She also said she would like to increase the cooperation between the MDP and Arab American organizations, including the Arab American Political Action Committee.

Sami Khaldi, the head of the Dearborn Democratic Club and an MDP officer at large, said the mission of the club is to educate residents about issues on both the local and notional level and to get more people involved in the democratic process.

Khaldi said the Democratic Party appeals to marginalized and underprivileged groups, including Arab Americans. He said the Affordable Care Act, which served many uninsured members of the community, is a prime example of how Arab Americans can benefit from the Democrats’ policies.

He added that one of his goals as a local Democrat is to increase the community’s participation in the 2016 elections.

“We want to reach out to people and tell them that if you are not on the table, you are on the menu,” he said. “It is an education process each election.”