Abdullah Hammoud

Abdullah H. Hammoud (عبدالله حمود; born March 19, 1990) is an American politician serving as the 7th mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Hammoud had previously served in the Michigan House of Representatives, representing the 15th district from 2017 to 2021.

Hammoud is the first Arab-American, Lebanese American and first Muslim mayor of Dearborn as well as the second youngest mayor in the city’s history. His election is considered historic as the city is home to one of the largest Middle Eastern and Muslim populations per capita in the United States.

Early life and education
Hammoud was born in Dearborn, Michigan, to a Lebanese Shia Muslim family. His dad worked as a truck driver and his mom, who had not completed high school, pursued an education and became a small business owner. He earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Michigan, Dearborn, a Master of Public Health in epidemiology and genetics from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Business Administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Michigan House of Representatives
At 26, then a healthcare advisor at the Henry Ford Health System, Hammoud decided to run for office after his older brother unexpectedly died. Hammoud defeated Republican nominee Terrance Guido Gerin, a WWE professional wrestler, in the general election by a margin of 61-38%. Upon his election, Hammoud became the first Arab American and Muslim to represent the 15th district.

Tenure
Hammoud backed Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.

When President Joe Biden visited a Ford factory in Dearborn during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, Hammoud gave him a letter calling for a ceasefire and a re-evaluation of the Israel–United States relationship.

2021 campaign
On January 25, 2021, Hammoud announced he would run for Mayor of Dearborn. Election night results on the August 3 primary showed him in first with 50% followed by Susan Dabaja with 15.6% and Tom Tafelski with 13.5%. Hammoud finished first and he advanced to a November 2 general election against Gary Woronchak. In the November election, Hammoud won the race for mayor, making him the first Arab American and first Muslim mayor of Dearborn. His term began January 1, 2022.

Tenure
One of Hammoud's first actions as mayor was to establish a local health department. Dearborn became the first city in Michigan to do so voluntarily. Hammoud reformed the city's police force by eliminating policies prohibiting beards, tattoos and loose hair in an effort to increase diversity and by instructing officers to focus on dangerous traffic violations rather than pretextual stops. Hammoud credits these reforms as having led to a 50 percent decrease in the proportion of tickets issued to Black drivers and a 10 percent decrease in the number of car accidents in the city.

Hammoud has also pushed for investments in water and sewer infrastructure as well as investments in parks and green spaces and a reduction of parking minimums for new development as part of a flood mitigation strategy for the city, which was heavily impacted by flooding in 2019 and 2021.

In 2024, Hammoud declined an invitation to meet with Biden campaign officials prior to the 2024 United States presidential election, due to the Biden administration's stance on the Israel-Hamas war. Explaining his decision on X, Hammoud wrote "I will not entertain conversations about elections while we watch a live-streamed genocide backed by our government."

According to The Washington Post, Hammoud was approached by Jill Stein, 2012 and 2016 presidential nominee for the Green Party, to be her running mate for her 2024 presidential campaign. Hammoud, however, would not meet the age requirement by January 20, 2025, the date of the next presidential inauguration as required under the U.S. Constitution.

Personal life
He is married to Fatima Beydoun, a doctor. She is a Shia Muslim.