Pakistani-American politician Mussab Ali, originally from Lahore, narrowly missed out on becoming the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, but earned wide respect for his spirited and inspiring campaign.
Running as an independent, Ali competed against Christina Freeman, Kalki Jaini Rose, Jim McGreevey, Bill O’Dea, James Solomon, and Joyce Waterman.
According to official results, Ali secured 10,843 votes, finishing fourth. City Council member James Solomon led the race with 17,200 votes, followed by former governor Jim McGreevey with 15,042 votes.
The two will now face each other in a runoff election.
Born in Lahore in 1997, Mussab Ali moved to Jersey City with his parents in 2000.
Both his parents have long been union workers — his mother an educator and his father a postal worker.
Ali attended local public schools before earning a Master’s degree in China and later a Juris Doctor (JD) from Harvard Law School, where he also served as co-president of the student body.
Ali credits Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign as the spark that drew him into politics.
In 2016, he ran for a seat on the Jersey City School Board, losing narrowly in his first attempt.
Undeterred, he contested again in 2017, winning by just 68 votes at the age of 20 — becoming the youngest elected official in Jersey City’s history and the youngest Muslim elected official in U.S. history at the time.
Re-elected in 2018 with more than 23,000 votes, Ali became Board President in 2021, where he led successful campaigns to raise teachers’ salaries, increase the minimum hourly wage to $17, and set a minimum annual salary of $61,000.
He also advocated for eliminating student lunch debt, creating a student board seat, and ensuring student input in budget decisions.