Rashida Tlaib

DETROIT — New York Magazine named former State Rep. Rashida Tlaib as one of 10 Democrats who could be a “next Obama” in the Democratic Party.

In an article published Thursday, the magazine argued that the Democratic leadership is getting old and named up-and-coming activists who represent the future of the party.

Marin Cogan wrote that the Democratic Party’s bench looks “awfully thin” beyond Hillary Clinton, 69; Bernie Sanders, 74 and Joe Biden, 73.

“Here are 10 young Democrats who, like Obama, have unusual ambition, an inspiring life story, a gift for public oratory or some combination of the three,” Cogan wrote of the activists, who included Tlaib. “They aren’t prominent — nor are they seasoned enough to have much of a shot on a 2016 ticket — but they just might be poised to break out eight years from now.”

Tlaib served as a state representative for Southwest Detroit from 2008 to 2014. After being term-limited, she ran unsuccessfully for the State Senate. But Virgil Smith, who defeated her in the elections, is expected to step down after firing a gun at his ex-wife last year. Tlaib has not made a public announcement on whether she will run in a special election to fill the vacancy that will be left by Smith.

She is currently working for a Detroit-based law office and serving as a manager for the Take on Hate campaign.

A champion for environmentalist causes, Tlaib is known for her passionate tone and relentless advocacy for her constituents.

Tlaib is the oldest of 14 children. She was born and raised in Detroit to a Palestinian family.

“As the first Muslim woman elected (in 2008) to her state’s legislature and as one of only two serving in an elected capacity anywhere in the country, Tlaib has been a voice for a badly underrepresented political constituency,” the NY Magazine story reads. 

Tlaib’s friends and supporters in Detroit and the Arab American community were thrilled about the article on social media.

“Our dear Rashida Tlaib, bottom center, devoted civic leader and fearless civil rights warrior – for POTUS? HECK YEAH,” wrote Facebook user Rebecca La Duca.

Cogan quotes Tlaib as saying she has been changing diapers since she was seven because of her birth order in a big family.

“Does changing diapers since I was 7-years-old qualify me to be President of the U.S.? Probably,” Tlaib wrote on Facebook. “Honored to be part of this amazing group of people.”

Besides Tlaib, the list includes the likes of Lucy Flores, a former lieutenant governor candidate in Nevada; Louisiana U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond; Hawaii U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard; Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana; and Evan Low, an openly gay Asian American who was elected as the mayor of Campbell, California, at age 26.