Mussab Ali
Mussab Ali | |
|---|---|
.jpg?lang=en) Mussab Ali in 2025 | |
| President of the Jersey City Board of Education | |
| In office January 6, 2021 – January 5, 2022 | |
| Member of the Jersey City Board of Education | |
| In office January 9, 2018 – January 5, 2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1997 (age 27–28) Lahore, Pakistan |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Rutgers University–Newark (BA) Tsinghua University (Master of Global Affairs) Harvard Law School (JD) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Mussab Ali (born 1997) is a Pakistani-American educator, activist, and politician. In 2017, he was the youngest person elected to the Jersey City Board of Education and later became its president.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Mussab Ali was born in Lahore, Pakistan, and moved to Jersey City, New Jersey, with his family in 2000.[2] His mother taught in local schools and his father worked as a postal worker.[3] Ali's parents experienced discrimination, harassment, and job loss which motivated his interest in civil rights.[4] Ali graduated from McNair Academic High School[5] and earned dual bachelor's degrees in economics and biology from Rutgers University in 2019, where he was named a Harry S. Truman Scholar in 2017.[4][6]
He completed a master's degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University as a Schwarzman Scholar.[7] In 2020, he enrolled at Harvard Law School[8] and was elected co‑president of its student government while also serving on the American Bar Association's Board of Governors. In 2022, he was also awarded a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans[2] and graduated from Harvard Law School in 2023.[9]
Early career
[edit]In November 2017, he won an at-large seat at the Jersey City Board of Education by less than 60 votes[10] for a one-year unexpired term, thereby becoming the youngest elected official in Jersey City history and, at the time, the youngest Muslim elected official in America.[11][12][7] He received an official endorsement from the Jersey City Education Association.[6] In November 2018, he was re-elected, garnering nearly 23,000 votes.[13]
While serving as Jersey City Board of Education president, Ali announced in March 2021 that he had been diagnosed with stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma and would continue working during treatment;[14] in August 2021, he said he was in complete remission.[15]
2025 campaign for Mayor of Jersey City
[edit]He is a candidate in the 2025 Jersey City mayoral election.[16] Ali filed paperwork with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission in April 2024 to run in the nonpartisan 2025 Jersey City mayoral election.[17][18]
During the campaign, Ali emphasized affordability, public transit and ethics reforms, including proposals to expand affordable housing, improve local bus service, and tighten anti-corruption rules.[19][20][21]
Ali participated in a number of forums and televised interviews, including an October 2025 NJPBS “Chat Box” program with fellow candidates James Solomon and Bill O’Dea,[22] as well as issue-oriented events hosted by local advocacy groups.[23] In late October, his campaign reported third-quarter fundraising of about $244,000 with roughly $250,000 cash on hand, according to filings summarized by Hudson County View.[24]
He received support from several progressive elected officials and organizations, including endorsements from U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar and Ro Khanna,[25][26] and from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.[27] Additional institutional support included endorsements by People for the American Way, Run for Something, and New American Leaders Action Fund.[28]
The 2025 race drew seven candidates vying to succeed outgoing mayor Steven Fulop; if no candidate won a majority on November 4, a December 2 runoff was scheduled under city rules.[29][30]
References
[edit]- ^ "A Conversation with Mussab Ali JD'23 on Law School, Politics, and Advocacy". Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
- ^ a b "Mussab Ali". Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
- ^ Romero, Adrienne J. (2024-06-12). "Mussab Ali Is Running For Jersey City Mayor And Is Calling On Young People To 'Step Up' And Make Their Voices Heard - slice of culture". Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ^ a b "Groundbreaking Rutgers-Newark Alumnus Mussab Ali Runs for Mayor of Jersey City". www.newark.rutgers.edu. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
- ^ "20-year-old elected to Jersey City school board". ABC7 New York. 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ^ a b "Mussab Ali". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
- ^ a b "Mussab Ali | Winthrop House". winthrop.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ Tully, Tracey (2024-01-10). "In Newark, 16-Year-Olds Win the Right to Vote in School Board Races". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
- ^ Elamroussi, Aya (2022-05-01). "Young Muslim Americans hit turning points in Ramadan". CNN. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
- ^ NJTV News | Rutgers senior elected to Jersey City School Board | Season 2017. Retrieved 2025-08-01 – via www.pbs.org.
- ^ "Jersey City Public Schools elections (2017)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ^ vote16usa (2024-01-09). "Vote16USA Welcomes Its First-Ever Director!". Vote16USA. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Mussab Ali". Rutgers Law School Center on Law, Inequality and Metropolitan Equity. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ^ Rosario, Joshua (2021-03-22). "Jersey City school president announces cancer diagnosis, says he'll keep working". NJ.com. Retrieved 2025-10-17.
- ^ Rosario, Joshua (2021-08-23). "Jersey City school board president: 'I am in complete remission'". NJ.com. Retrieved 2025-10-17.
- ^ Journal, Joshua Rosario | The Jersey (2024-04-08). "Former school board president Mussab Ali files campaign paperwork to run for Jersey City mayor in 2025". nj. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ Rosario, Joshua (2024-04-08). "Former school board president Mussab Ali files campaign paperwork to run for Jersey City mayor in 2025". NJ.com. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ Heinis, John (2024-04-08). "Former Jersey City BOE President Mussab Ali files with NJ ELEC to run for mayor". Hudson County View. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ Calabrese, Joe (2025-10-31). "Jersey City mayoral election: What to know about the 7 candidates". FOX 5 New York. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ "A Conversation with Jersey City Mayoral Candidates". NJPBS. 2025-10-18. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ "Mussab Ali, Jersey City Mayoral Candidate, Might Be the City's Zohran Mamdani". Teen Vogue. 2025-10-29. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ "A Conversation with Jersey City Mayoral Candidates". THIRTEEN/WNET. 2025-10-18. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ Ulloa, Daniel (2025-10-28). "Jersey City street safety advocates host final mayoral forum of the season". Hudson County View. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ Heinis, John (2025-10-15). "ELEC: Ali banks $244k in Q3 for Jersey City mayoral run, has $250k COH". Hudson County View. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ Heinis, John (2025-09-22). "Rep. Omar rallies for Mussab Ali for Jersey City mayor in front of City Hall". Hudson County View. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ Heinis, John (2025-05-07). "U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna endorses former Jersey City BOE pres. Mussab Ali for mayor". Hudson County View. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ Wildstein, David (2025-05-23). "Mussab Ali gets backing of prominent national political leaders". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ Heinis, John (2025-09-16). "3 national progressive organizations backing Mussab Ali for Jersey City mayor". Hudson County View. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ Bonamo, Mark J. (2025-10-30). "Seven running in crowded campaign to become Jersey City's new mayor". New Jersey Monitor. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ "Jim McGreevey is back on the ballot, 21 years after scandal led him to resign as New Jersey governor". Associated Press. 2025-11-01. Retrieved 2025-11-01.