Muslim Dem Officeholder Silenced by Party Over LGBTQ Issues Speaks Out

Melissa Chaudhry, a Washington State Democrat running for the state’s 9th Congressional District, told the Daily Signal that the Democratic Party has silenced the candidate for not embracing the LGBTQ+ community.

The controversy comes after Chaudhry, who has already been endorsed by local advocacy groups in her race to unseat longtime incumbent Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., allegedly said in an interview that she excluded endorsements from local LGBTQ+ organizations on her official campaign website because it “alienates Muslim voters.”

According to a 2025 Pew Research Center study, over half of U.S. Muslims do not believe same-sex relationships should be accepted by society.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Signal, Chaudhry said she now regrets making those remarks.

“I gave one answer I don’t stand by. I’ve corrected it publicly, repeatedly, on the record,” she said. “That is a fact about one bad moment under pressure. It is not, and never has been, a fact about my religion or my commitment to dignity, equality, and justice for all.”

Chaudhry’s remarks come after the LGBTQ+ caucus of the Washington State Democratic Party urged local leaders and organizations to rescind their endorsements of her campaign.

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She then referred to the interview as a “hostile, adversarial endorsement interview under sustained pressure from an aggressive political opponent and a panel that followed her lead.”

The political opponent being referred to is Kshama Sawant, who served on the Seattle City Council for 10 years before making her bid for the congressional seat Chaudhry is also running for.

Sawant did not immediately respond to the Daily Signal’s request for comment.

Aside from taking aim against her opponent, Chaudhry believes the local Democratic Party is attempting to silence her over her previous remarks and lack of action when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community.

The Washington State Democratic Party did not return a request for comment by the Daily Signal.

“The Stonewall Democrats actively refused to allow me to introduce my candidacy at the Washington State Democratic Convention [on] June 20, or they would have heard all this from me directly,” Chaudhry said. “And no one from that body has reached out to me to clarify.”

Prior to her remarks, the chair of the Stonewall Democrats, Andrew Ashiofu, wrote in a social media post that what is “alarming is her [Chaudhry’s] acknowledgment that she omitted LGBTQ+ protections from her platform because she feared it would alienate parts of her coalition.”

“Our community is not expendable. LGBTQ+ rights are not optional. They are foundational to any candidate seeking Democratic support,” Ashiofu said.

The Stonewall Democrats did not immediately respond to the Daily Signal’s request for comment.

In Chaudhry’s statements to the Daily Signal, she attributed the alleged backlash against her to Islamophobia.

“It sure looks like bias against me for my modest dress and headscarf,” she said. “I am a natural and sincere ally [of the LGBTQ+ community]. Infighting such as this does the bigots’ and billionaires’ divide-and-conquer work for them, and it’s infuriating. Such a waste of time.”

Chaudhry added that she has “supported full equality” all throughout her life and has close family and friends who are gay or lesbian. She said this is clearly reflected in her campaign.

“My platform’s core language … has been consistent since before this race began, and it includes LGBTQ+ people fully, explicitly.”