Politics & Government

Kirkland's Habib, First Iranian-American Legislator, Profiled on KOMO

Blind since the age of 8, Democrat Cyrus Habib says he wants every person in Washington to have the same opportunities he had regardless of their circumstances.

 

Kirkland’s Cyrus Habib, voted last November as the first Iranian-American elected to state office in the United States, is finding his way around the state Capitol as a freshman representative -- but one without eyesight.

Habib was featured in a story on KOMO News this week, and said he believes he is also the first blind legislator in Washington in 100 years, since 1913.

Habib, a Democrat and an attorney was easily elected Nov. 6 as a representative in the 48th Legislative District, which covers portions of Redmond, Kirkland and Bellevue. Blind since the age of 8, Habib campaigned on a platform that focused on adequate funding of education and helping small businesses grow. His parents immigrated to the United States from Iran in the 1970s.

"My story is of a person who was given opportunity despite a very challenging set of life circumstances. I was given the opportunity to work hard. I did work hard. And I want every Washingtonian to get that same opportunity," he said.

See the full KOMO story here.


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