First and second generation immigrant candidates launch bids amid Georgia’s changing political landscape

“I stand here in front of you today as a proud immigrant from Bangladesh,” said Tanjina Islam in Southwest Atlanta on Monday evening, moments before announcing her run to represent Georgia House District 96, which includes parts of Gwinnett County. Speaking at the Teamsters building, Tanjina was joined by another candidate vying for office in this fall’s elections: Rohit Malhotra, a prominent civic activist seeking to become president of the Atlanta City Council.

The Monday town hall was part of Benefits Over Billionaires, a nationwide speaking tour organized by California Rep. Ro Khanna meant to build support for Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. He was joined by progressive political activist Nina Turner as well as local lawmakers including Georgia Rep. Ruwa Romman and Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari.     

A first-generation immigrant, Tanjina was born in Bangladesh and came to the U.S. as a child. Both her and Rohit’s candidacies reflect the ever-changing demographics of the Atlanta region, where a wave of state and local officials of diverse backgrounds have entered public service over the past five years. 

“Our families sacrificed everything,” Rohit said from behind the podium, as his Indian born parents listened intently, sitting alongside their friends on the plastic gray chairs that filled the auditorium. “My mother was 19 years old when she came to this country. She and my father built a small family business and they poured everything they had into it.” 

In his remarks, Rohit drew links between the experiences of immigrant families like his and those of Black Americans like Nina Turner, who was set to speak later at the event. “Our stories as the children of Indian immigrants in this country [are] impossible without the story of Nina Turner and any of y’all’s ancestors,” he said to a roomful of union members, lawmakers, activists, church leaders, and others. “This story reminds us that movements for Black liberation and the rights of immigrants are both intertwined and interconnected in this country, and that is what makes us Donald Trump’s worst nightmare.”

Tanjina, the former executive director of the nonprofit Voices of Muslims and current board member, concluded her remarks with a nod to the demographics of Gwinnett County, an especially diverse part of the metro area where, she said, she’d been asked to run by the Democratic Party and by local Latino and South Asian communities. “I’m proud to be a Muslim here in the state of Georgia because we have two Muslim senators, and two state reps,” she said as the room erupted into applause. “We also have a Muslim commissioner in Fulton County. So thank you, Georgia, for giving us the space, for making us feel we are Americans.”

Correction on 8/20/25: When this article was first published, it identified Tanjina Islam as the executive director of the nonprofit Voices of Muslims. This is incorrect. She is the former executive director of Voices of Muslims. She is now a Board member of the group.