Shahid Buttar

Shahid Buttar (born July 22, 1974) is an English-American civil rights lawyer and political activist best known for challenging Nancy Pelosi to represent California's 12th congressional district.

Early life and education
The son of Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Buttar was born in London, England, and grew up in Rosebud, Missouri. He briefly attended the University of Chicago, but was forced to drop out after his family's home was foreclosed.

He graduated from Loyola University Chicago, in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. In 2003, he earned a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.

Career
Buttar began his career for the Heller Ehrman law firm, where he helped defend Jason West, the mayor of New Paltz, New York who in 2004 was criminally charged for conducting same-sex marriages ceremonies.

Since then, Buttar has worked in various roles for progressive advocacy groups, including the American Constitution Society, Muslim Advocates, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee (now Defending Rights & Dissent), and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Activism
Buttar is known for his “track record in advocacy and community organizing,” according to The Intercept.

His campaigns, on issues such as surveillance and encryption, have targeted the National Security Agency,  the Transportation Security Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In 2003, Buttar was arrested in San Francisco for blockading the headquarters of Bechtel. In 2005, he served as the spokesman for the D.C. Resistance Media Collective, which coordinated protests against President George W. Bush’s inauguration. In 2015, he was arrested in Washington, D.C., for disrupting a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

2018 and 2020 House elections
In 2018, running as a democratic socialist, Buttar challenged Nancy Pelosi for the Democratic nomination to represent California's 12th congressional district.

In 2020, Buttar again ran against Pelosi. He placed second in the primary and thus qualified, under California’s jungle primary rules, for the general election, where Pelosi defeated him.

Buttar was accused of sexual harassment by Elizabeth Croydon in July 2020. Buttar denied those claims, with The Intercept determining that Croydon's allegations could not be corroborated. Several organizations, including The League of Pissed Off Voters in San Francisco and the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, revoked their endorsements of his candidacy.

Political positions
Shahid supports Medicare For All, the Green New Deal, and increasing the federal minimum wage to $15/hour.