Syed Saba Taj (born September 7, 1946) is a member of the Board of Trustees of Canton, Michigan and was the Democratic nominee for Michigan's 11th congressional district for the 113th United States Congress. He stepped down from his post as Chief of Medicine at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn in March 2012 in order to concentrate on his campaign.
On August 7, Taj won the Democratic primary against LaRouche candidate William Roberts. In the general election on November 6, 2012, he lost against Republican Kerry Bentivolio.
Video Syed Taj
Early life, education and career
Taj was born in Gaya, India, attended Patna University and Med School, worked for Bihar State Health Services, moved to the UK for postgraduate training in 1974, and moved to the United States in 1982 or 1983.
Taj completed his medical residency at Oakwood Hospital and eventually became Chairman of the Medicine Department.
Taj was elected as the only Democrat on the Canton Board of Trustees in 2008 with 20,000 votes, 18.63% of the total. In office, he supported council legislation to lower property taxes and water bills. He also served on the board of directors of the Canton Community Foundation and the Wayne County Senior Alliance.
Maps Syed Taj
2012 Congressional campaign
On August 7, 2012, he won the Democratic primary for Michigan's 11th District against LaRouche candidate William Roberts with 54.33% of the vote.
Taj is a Muslim and has been accused of "having ties to Islamic extremism" by an outside Super PAC because his campaign received a donation from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Taj denies having extremist sympathies and says that the allegations are merely racial and religious slurs.
Taj lost in the November general election to his Republican opponent, Kerry Bentivolio.
Political positions
According to a Plymouth-Canton Patch candidate survey, Taj stated that he supports tax incentives to hire new workers during recessions, eliminating tax loopholes, fair trade legislation, greater benefits for veterans, and tax reform. Taj has publicly supported the Affordable Care Act but stated that wanted to improve it. He also opposes privatizing Social Security and Medicare, and supports seeking other avenues to raise revenues for program solvency.
Personal life
Taj created a scholarship for Canton students through the Canton Community Foundation, and is a devout member of his community mosque. He came to Michigan to join his wife Sofia's family. She is an artist, author and poet. His son is studying at the University of Michigan in preparation for medical school.
Taj's family in India is also active in politics, with one sibling serving in the Indian Parliament.
References
External links
- Syed Taj for U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Profile at Project Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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