Salman Bhojani's Path from Immigrant to Texas Rep 🚶♂️
Texas Rep. Salman Bhojani shares his journey from Pakistani immigrant working multiple jobs to becoming a successful state representative.
The NewDEAL
122 views • Mar 5, 2025
About this video
Texas State Representative Salman Bhojani describes his journey as an immigrant from Pakistan who worked three jobs to eventually become a successful business leader and member of the Texas House of Representatives.
Listen to the full episode here: https://youtu.be/e4mn5FNmYpQ
As the first Muslim elected to the Texas Legislature, Rep. Bhojani never anticipated running for office. Bhojani was born in Pakistan, moved to Canada when he was 10 years old, and then moved to the United States when he was 19 years old. He comes from a humble family that didn’t have a lot of means so he started working at gas stations where he mopped floors, cleaned restrooms, and stocked shelves for six bucks an hour. Nobody would give him more than 40 hours a week because they didn't want to pay overtime, so he worked 80-90 hours a week at three different jobs to put food on the table and support my family in college. “It was a really tough time, but I think my family was there and the community was always there to help me. That's why I try to pay it forward because if people didn't help me at that time, I would not be successful,” said Bhojani. Once his daughter was born he had worked his way up to manager and eventually bought his first gas station in 2003 in the district he now represents.
Bhojani decided he wanted to become a lawyer to better serve his community. He got into the evening program at SMU Law School and, after four long years, became an attorney at Hanes & Moon. He practiced law with some of the brightest legal minds in the country, including with fellow state representative and NewDEAL Leader Rafael Anchia, who originally encouraged him to run for office. Bhojani said he would think about it and began volunteering at the park board in Euless, Texas.
A major awakening for him was President Trump’s election in 2016 and the subsequent Muslim ban. He decided to run for Euless city council at a time when all seven city council members were white in a minority-majority city. While he lost his first campaign, he understood that loss is not that defeat. He ran again in 2018 and won by only 37 votes, making him the first minority ever elected in the history of the city of Euless. He was elected by his six Republicans colleagues on the city council to serve as mayor pro tem in 2020. He admired the lack of partisanship at the city level, mentioning that potholes are not Democratic and that the library is not Republican.
When a seat in the state house opened, Bhojani ran and won with 60% of the vote, making him the first Muslim and the first South Asian ever elected to the Texas legislature. He was also the first minority to represent his House District. Bhojani views this diversity as important, noting that when he talks to young people, he says, “I am the first one, but I don't want to be the last one.” He faced a lot of Islamophobia while campaigning, being told that he would “bring Sharia law to our state” or was “going to make women wear hijab.” He attributes much of these attitudes to misinformation, but believed in himself and was sworn in using a 200 year old Quran once owned by John Adams.
Ultimately, Bhojani’s long journey from Pakistan to the Texas State House has taught him to showcase his values and ethics in a way that is accessible to everyone, pushing bipartisan legislation that helps everyday Texans.
Listen to the full episode here: https://youtu.be/e4mn5FNmYpQ
As the first Muslim elected to the Texas Legislature, Rep. Bhojani never anticipated running for office. Bhojani was born in Pakistan, moved to Canada when he was 10 years old, and then moved to the United States when he was 19 years old. He comes from a humble family that didn’t have a lot of means so he started working at gas stations where he mopped floors, cleaned restrooms, and stocked shelves for six bucks an hour. Nobody would give him more than 40 hours a week because they didn't want to pay overtime, so he worked 80-90 hours a week at three different jobs to put food on the table and support my family in college. “It was a really tough time, but I think my family was there and the community was always there to help me. That's why I try to pay it forward because if people didn't help me at that time, I would not be successful,” said Bhojani. Once his daughter was born he had worked his way up to manager and eventually bought his first gas station in 2003 in the district he now represents.
Bhojani decided he wanted to become a lawyer to better serve his community. He got into the evening program at SMU Law School and, after four long years, became an attorney at Hanes & Moon. He practiced law with some of the brightest legal minds in the country, including with fellow state representative and NewDEAL Leader Rafael Anchia, who originally encouraged him to run for office. Bhojani said he would think about it and began volunteering at the park board in Euless, Texas.
A major awakening for him was President Trump’s election in 2016 and the subsequent Muslim ban. He decided to run for Euless city council at a time when all seven city council members were white in a minority-majority city. While he lost his first campaign, he understood that loss is not that defeat. He ran again in 2018 and won by only 37 votes, making him the first minority ever elected in the history of the city of Euless. He was elected by his six Republicans colleagues on the city council to serve as mayor pro tem in 2020. He admired the lack of partisanship at the city level, mentioning that potholes are not Democratic and that the library is not Republican.
When a seat in the state house opened, Bhojani ran and won with 60% of the vote, making him the first Muslim and the first South Asian ever elected to the Texas legislature. He was also the first minority to represent his House District. Bhojani views this diversity as important, noting that when he talks to young people, he says, “I am the first one, but I don't want to be the last one.” He faced a lot of Islamophobia while campaigning, being told that he would “bring Sharia law to our state” or was “going to make women wear hijab.” He attributes much of these attitudes to misinformation, but believed in himself and was sworn in using a 200 year old Quran once owned by John Adams.
Ultimately, Bhojani’s long journey from Pakistan to the Texas State House has taught him to showcase his values and ethics in a way that is accessible to everyone, pushing bipartisan legislation that helps everyday Texans.
Video Information
Views
122
Likes
4
Duration
6:58
Published
Mar 5, 2025