Going into the 2010 Democratic primary election in the state of Texas, few people thought Farouk Shami had a chance to compete for the party’s nomination.

Palestinian native Farouk Shami made his mark as a hair care products mogul before entering the Democratic race for Texas governor.                   PHOTO: FaroukforGovernor.com

After all, he started out as a schoolteacher before becoming a hair care products mogul and had never run for or held office before.
Shami entered the race without a ton of fanfare, but by the end, the native-born Palestinian succeeded in creating the kind of buzz around his campaign that could propel him to future success in the political realm.

“I want to thank each and every person who has given their time, energy and votes to my campaign for governor of Texas. Although this wasn’t the outcome we’d hoped for, do not get discouraged,” Shami said, according to the Texas Tribune Web site after conceding the race to the eventual winner, Bill White.

While Shami said he felt confident as he cast his ballot in the primary, he wound up losing to White on Tuesday, March 2 by a tally of 75.99% (516, 621 votes) to 12.84% (87,268). But he managed to finish second in the race, garnering more votes than the other five non-winning candidates combined.

Shami stayed upbeat in his concession speech as he looked toward the future.

“I ask for each of you to join me. Do not give up hope. Continue to support the cause. Eventually, we will overcome all obstacles and accomplish our goal, real change for Texas,” he said according to the Texas Tribune.

“Thank you again for your support. It means the world to me, more than I can ever express in words.”

Despite the loss, Shami, who runs the popular CHI and BioSilk lines of haircare products, said that his campaign put up a good fight.

Shami made headway in Texas in large part because of his focus on minority groups, including the large immigrant Mexican and Latino population scattered around Texas as well as the Arab American community of 300,000+ in the state, many of whom live near Houston or Dallas.

“I spoke to every type of citizen and I ran this campaign for everyone, however, minorities have been discriminated against and they’re looking for a savior, someone who believes in equal opportunity, and that’s me,” Shami said.

Of course, Shami’s campaign was formed with the goal of helping everyone in the state of Texas. His platform focused around green energy jobs, and he planned to use his business expertise to balance the state’s budget while also reforming the educational system. He said he also planned to donate the $150,000 salary the governor receives to charity while working on just $1 a year.

Shami arrived to the United States in 1965 from a small village in Palestine, Beit Ur al-Tahta, which is between Jerusalem and Ramallah. He had just $71 in his pocket when he settled in Maryland to begin working towards becoming a teacher.

As a true American success story, Shami knew what it took to make something out of nothing. That life experience inspired him to run for office after observing the struggling economy.

Shami was also inspired, as many other minority candidates have been in recent months, by the election of President Barack Obama in 2008. While the fellow Democrat said he doesn’t always agree with Obama’s political stances, his election is what gave Shami the extra push needed to make a run, which he funded in large part from his own pocket.

Shami also took a page from Obama’s book in terms of engaging the youth throughout his campaign, a strategy he continued until Election Day, when his campaign released a music video created by rapper J. Xavier that outlined his campaign platforms and featured the chorus “Farouk, Farouk, Farouk is on fire!”

The video garnered a ton of attention from local media as well as a CBSNews.com blog.

Shami hopes that the video and his energetic campaign have inspired a whole new generation of young people, especially minorities, to become more politically and socially active.

“We’re America, and everyone is equal under God; the only difference between one family and another is whose family came out first,” he said,

“This was the first time a Palestinian Arab has run for a high position, especially in the state of Texas.

“I’m trying to open the door for everyone, every person. When I see the economy going down I just feel fortunate enough to live the American dream and I feel it’s my responsibility to help other people do the same.”

For more information about Shami’s campaign, visit www.faroukforgovernor.com.