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Nida Allam
Office history
Current office and 2026 campaign
Nida Allam served on the Durham County Board of Commissioners and ran in the 2026 Democratic primary for North Carolina's 4th Congressional District, challenging incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee in a rematch of their 2022 contest 14. The race became the most expensive congressional primary in North Carolina state history, with outside groups spending more than $4.4 million 5. Foushee won with 49.18% of the vote to Allam's 48.22%, a margin of roughly 1,202 votes out of nearly 122,000 cast 56. Allam conceded on March 4, 2026 6.
Allam's 2026 platform prioritized economic justice, healthcare, housing, and national security. She advocated for Medicare for All, expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, establishing a Green New Deal, regulating artificial intelligence, overturning Citizens United, and blocking arms sales to Israel 34.
Background and education
Allam was born on December 15, 1993, in Ottawa, Canada, to immigrant parents — her father from India and her mother from Pakistan 1. She moved to North Carolina at age five when her father accepted a position with IBM at Research Triangle Park, and the family settled in Cary 1. She graduated from Needham B. Broughton High School in Raleigh and earned a degree in sustainable materials and technology from North Carolina State University 12.
Career
After college, Allam worked as a political organizer. She served as Political Director for Senator Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, and New York, and later as an organizing director for Justice Cheri Beasley's campaign for the North Carolina Supreme Court 1. From 2017 to 2021, she served as Third Vice Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, becoming the first Muslim to serve on the party's executive board 14. In 2020, she was elected to the Durham County Board of Commissioners — becoming the first Muslim woman to hold elected office in North Carolina — and went on to chair the commission as of December 2024 14.
Allam's entry into civic life was shaped by the January 2015 Chapel Hill shooting, in which her close friends Deah Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha were killed in their home 1. Motivated to carry on her friends' legacy, she became a nationally recognized voice for Muslim American political participation 12.
Family
Allam lives in Durham with her husband, Towqir Aziz, and their two children 1.
Sources
Public filings
Candidates and officeholders are required by law to file campaign finance reports and statements of economic interest. The sites below don't support direct links to an individual record — search by last name on each.
North Carolina — campaign finance
- State, county, and municipal candidates — all in one system — NC State Board of Elections — Committee Search. Search by last name “Allam”.
North Carolina — statement of economic interest
- Required for state-elected and many local officials — NC State Ethics Commission — Statement of Economic Interest Search. Search by last name “Allam”.
Federal offices — campaign finance
- US House, US Senate, and Presidential candidates file with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), not with state systems — FEC candidate search. Filter by office, state, and cycle to narrow the results. Financial disclosures (personal assets and income) for members of Congress and congressional candidates are filed with the US House Clerk or US Senate Office of Public Records, depending on the office.