Yusuf Yusuf
Yusuf Yusuf | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Maine House of Representatives from the 118th district | |
| Assumed office December 3, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Rachel Talbot Ross |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Halimo Mohamed |
| Education | Western Washington University (BS) |
Yusuf M. Yusuf is an American politician serving as a member of the Maine House of Representatives from the 118th district since being elected in 2024.
Early life and career
Yusuf was born and raised in Somalia, then fled during the Somali Civil War and lived in Damascus, Syria for six years before arriving in the United States in 2007 and settling in Seattle, Washington.[1] He earned a Bachelor of Science in sociology from Western Washington University in 2016. He then moved to Maine in the same year and worked as a mental health case manager at Gateway Community Services. As of 2018, Yusuf had not returned to Somalia.[2]
In 2020, Yusuf ran for an at-large seat of the Portland School Board.[3] In November 2023, he joined a letter alongside other elected officials calling on Maine's congressional delegation to support a ceasefire in Gaza.[4]
After Lewiston-based nonprofit Gateway Commuity Services was charged by the Maine State Auditor December 2025 for overpayments, Yusuf removed a reference on his legislative website stating he worked closely with the organization.[5] In January 2026, conservative media outlet The Maine Wire reported that Yusuf and his wife, Halimo Mohamed, were tied to a network of business entities owned by Somali-Americans which received millions from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.[6]
Maine House of Representatives
In 2024, Yusuf ran to succeed incumbent Democrat Rachel Talbot Ross, who was term-limited and running for Maine State Senate. State Senator Ben Chipman was running but withdrew the day for the primary for unspecified reasons, leaving Yusuf and Herbert Adams as the only candidates for the Democratic primary election.[7] He defeated Adams in the primary election with 56% of the vote and was unopposed in the general election.[8][9]
Following president Donald Trump's remarks calling Somalia a "garbage" country in December 2025, Yusuf joined fellow Somali-American state representatives Mana Abdi and Deqa Dhalac in a letter criticizing the comment.[10]
References
- ^ Harrison, Kathreen (October 21, 2020). "Meet Yusuf Yusuf, candidate for Portland School Board". Amjambo Africa. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ Ali, Abdullahi; Yusuf, Yusuf; Awil, Mohamed. "Call Us ALL American". Hiiraan Online.
- ^ "Progressives running for school boards across Maine focus on racial equity". Maine Beacon. October 14, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
- ^ Popp, Evan (November 13, 2023). "Muslim elected officials urge Maine's Members of Congress to back calls for Gaza ceasefire". Maine Morning Star. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
- ^ Mundry, Jackie (December 19, 2025). "Maine nonprofit was overpaid more than $662K by the state, 8 Investigates finds". WMTW-TV. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
- ^ Othot, Seamus (January 29, 2026). "Rep. Yusuf Yusuf Tied in to Vast Network of Million-Dollar Somali-Run Medicaid Recipients and Money Transfers". The Maine Wire. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
- ^ Bartow, Adam (June 10, 2024). "Maine Senator withdraws from House bid day before primary". WMTW-TV. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
- ^ Popp, Evan; Hilton, AnnMarie; Davis, Emma (June 12, 2024). "Here's how Maine's contested state legislative primaries turned out". Maine Morning Star. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
- ^ Hilton, AnnMarie (September 25, 2024). "Nearly one in five Maine House races will be decided before a single vote is cast". Maine Morning Star. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
- ^ Bartow, Adam (December 5, 2026). "Maine's Somali American lawmakers react to Pres. Trump calling their country "garbage"". WMTW-TV. Retrieved February 24, 2026.