PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The second-largest city in Maine, home to thousands of African newcomers, has elected a Somali American to its city council.
Safiya Khalid, 23, soundly defeated a fellow Democrat on Tuesday for a seat on the Lewiston City Council in a campaign that was marred in the final days by nasty attacks and threats fueled by social media.
Shrugging off the attacks, Khalid declared that her victory is proof that “community organizers beat internet trolls.”
The attacks didn’t seem to faze voters. Khalid won with nearly 70% of the vote to make history in Maine’s second-largest city.
Lewiston voter Amber St. Onge said Mainers don’t like outsiders meddling in their affairs, so the out-of-state social media trolling could’ve backfired.
“Honestly, it’s just like a vocal minority that’s like that,” she said. “Most people are really welcoming in Lewiston.”
Maine is the nation’s whitest state, but it is home to a growing population of Africans who’ve fled their homeland.
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