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A Virginia Democrat who refused calls from prominent party leaders to drop out of the Prince William County supervisor race over racist social media posts was projected to lose his bid, handing Republicans a pickup in the Washington exurbs.
The defeat followed public rebukes from several top state and local Democrats, who said Muhammad “Sef” Casim had disqualified himself and urged him to step aside. Casim remained in the race, however, saying the stakes were too high to withdraw.
Republican Realtor Jeanne LaCroix was poised to win the Woodbridge District seat, marking a Republican gain in a county that has trended Democratic in recent years.
Prince William County, once a conservative stronghold during the Obama era, became known nationally for hardline immigration policies before shifting left alongside Northern Virginia’s suburban growth.
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People wait in line to vote. (Rawpixel/Getty Images)
In a statement apologizing for his previous social media posts, Casim blamed a “lack of maturity” at the time and equated his behavior with that of prior Republican leadership in Prince William.
“I posted some comments on social media that are deeply offensive and hurtful, especially to the African American community. The tweets I wrote in my youth are not a reflection of my character and who I am today,” the Muslim Pakistani immigrant wrote.
“As a Muslim-American who has experienced what it’s like to live in America after 9/11, discussions around cultural sensitivity are very important to me,” Casim added before referencing former Chairman Corey Stewart, who championed the county’s circa-2007 immigration “papers” policy that required police to check immigration status.
While the social media page where the messages appeared has since been taken down, records from other sources, including the Prince William County Republican Committee, cited posts “comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, endorsing the persecution of Christians and accusing the United States of funding genocide abroad.”
Archived posts attributed to Casim included racial slurs, sexually explicit insults and disparaging comments about religious and ethnic communities, according to records circulated by local Republicans.
An open letter published in the Prince William Times was reportedly signed by several top state and local Democrats who called on Casim to step down and said he had disqualified himself.
“His use of deeply derogatory language that has caused immeasurable pain and harm to African Americans throughout this nation’s history reflects a fundamental failure of character and judgment that cannot be overlooked. Mr. Casim has demonstrated that he does not grasp the weight and history of the words he chose to use,” read the statement from the leaders, who include Virginia Black Caucus Chairman Del. Luke Torian, D-Independent Hill, state Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-Dale City, and local officials from Dumfries, Occoquan and Neabsco.
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Interstate 95 is closed for snow at the Prince William County Parkway near Rippon Landing. (Matt McClain/Getty Images)
Casim ultimately stayed in the race, saying “the stakes of this election are too high,” and blasted former Prince William Chairman Corey Stewart, the Republican who also ran for governor in 2017 and for Senate in 2018.
Under Stewart’s tenure, the county enacted a 287(g)-type immigration enforcement policy. He told “Fox & Friends” that he was “hanged in effigy” by critics for it but saw results, including a 38% drop in violent crime, fewer uninsured births straining hospitals, and a population shift among suspected illegal immigrants from Prince William to Loudoun, Fairfax and Arlington counties.
He also compared removal of Confederate symbols and statutes to how ISIS was destroying historic sites across the Middle East and was later fired as then-candidate Donald Trump’s 2016 Virginia campaign chairman following a protest he led at the Republican National Committee over alleged insufficient state support.
“Make no mistake, the attacks on our campaign are coming from the political party that elected former Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart, who has infamously defended White nationalists and used rhetoric that emboldened neo-Nazis,” Casim said in a statement.
“Hate has absolutely no place in our society. Our marginalized communities who form the backbone of Prince William County, including our African American community, immigrant communities, and the undocumented, deserve a fighter who will stand up for them,” he said.
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Since the Stewart era, Prince William has trended heavily Democratic, a shift attributed in part to liberal voters moving farther from Washington and an influx of new immigrant populations.
Casim also faced a write-in challenge from Pam Montgomery, who is Black and who he faced in the February primary. She was reportedly urged to continue her bid by fellow Democrats troubled by Casim.
