Syed Taj

Syed Taj
Candidate for
U.S. House, Michigan, District 11
Party	Democratic
Personal
Place of birth	India
Websites
Campaign website
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Syed Taj was a 2012 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House representing the 11th Congressional District of Michigan.

Biography

Taj was born and raised in India. He obtain post-graduate training in medicine in Great Britain. In 1982, he moved to Michigan with his wife to join her family.He began his career at Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center in Dearborn and eventually became Chief of Medicine. He was elected as a Canton Township Trustee in 2008.

Career

• Chief of Medicine, Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center
• Trustee, Canton Township

Elections

2012

See also: Michigan's 11th congressional district elections, 2012

Taj was defeated by republican Kerry Bentivolio. Taj ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Michigan's 11th District. He defeated Willam F. Roberts in the August 7 Democratic primary. He faced Kerry Bentivolio (R), John Tatar (L), Steven Paul Duke (G), and Daniel Johnson (NLP) in the general election on November 6, 2012.

General election

U.S. House, Michigan, District 11 General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Syed Taj	44.4%	158,879
	Republican	Kerry Bentivolio	50.8%	181,788
	Libertarian	John Tatar	2.7%	9,637
	Green	Steven Paul Duke	1.3%	4,569
	NLP	Daniel Johnson	0.9%	3,251
	Write-in	James Van Gilder	0%	14
	Write-in	Ralph Sherman	0%	1
Total Votes				358,139
Source: Michigan Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Primary results

Michigan's 11th Congressional District Democratic Primary, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Syed Taj	58.9%	21,953
William Roberts	41.1%	15,338
Total Votes		37,291

Endorsements

Taj was endorsed by the organizations and individuals below for the 2012 election.

• Detroit Free Press
• The Detroit News
• U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow
• Michigan Democratic Congressional Delegation
• Congressman Keith Ellison
• Congressman Andre Carson
• NOW PAC
• Michigan State AFL-CIO
• UAW CAP Council Region 1-A
• UAW CAP Council Region 1
• Michigan Nurses Association-Affiliate of National Nurses United
• American Federation of Teachers-AFT
• Sierra Club

Campaign Issues

The follow are several issues highlighted on Taj's campaign website.

• Economy and Jobs

Excerpt: "Our nation’s financial woes are the result of both revenue and spending problems. The way to the balanced budgets of the late 1990s is to grow our economy, but this is much easier said that done. Laying off teachers, firefighters and police officers at the state and local levels and cutting major public investments at the federal level only compounds our problems through depleted revenues and a shrinking tax base."

• National Security

Excerpt: "It is time to end the war in Afghanistan. The war is exploding our deficit while sacrificing our soldiers and international credibility at the same time. The longest war in U.S. history has gone on long enough. As a member of Congress, I will work to ensure that our troops have the equipment and supplies they need while aggressively advocating a new strategy."

• Health Care

Excerpt: "Throughout my career as Chief of Medicine at Oakwood Hospital, I have focused on improving the quality of care patients receive. I have instructed other doctors in quality care, resource utilization and medical education. I was encouraged by the President's efforts with the Affordable Care Act as there are good reforms in this law. However, we can do better with a PATIENT-OUTCOME MODEL and a focus on EFFICIENCY and QUALITY CARE."

• Immigration

Excerpt: "In Congress I will advocate a coherent federal immigration policy, one of securing our borders, establishing a policy toward illegal immigrants, and an organized method for attaining citizenship... [Taj supports] establishing a path to citizenship for immigrants already in this country by passing the DREAM Act.

• Taxes and Financial Security

Excerpt: "Our tax code has become entirely too complex, too skewed toward special interests and threatens to stay that way with political gridlock endemic on Washington. The result is an uneven playing field and tax code so complex that administration and enforcement becomes too costly and confusing. As a result, compliance costs in 2008 alone reached $140 billion."

Media

Below is Taj's second TV campaign ad, released October 5, 2012.

Syed Taj, "Dr. Taj for Congress Second Commercial "

Campaign donors

2012

Above is a breakdown of funds for the 2012 election, according to source.

Taj lost the United States House of Representatives election in 2012. During that election cycle, Taj's campaign committee raised a total of $684,821 and spent $677,582.

United States House of Representatives, 2012 - Syed Taj Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$684,821
Total Spent	$677,582
Total Raised by Election Winner	$485,729
Total Spent by Election Winner	$482,219
Top contributors to Syed Taj's campaign committee
America's Leadership PAC	$7,500
American Medical Assn	$7,000
Oakwood Hospital	$6,450
American Federation of Teachers	$5,000
Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers	$5,000
Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee
Health Professionals	$207,108
Hospitals/Nursing Homes	$28,250
Retired	$20,700
Leadership PACs	$15,500
Misc Business	$13,698

Personal

Taj is married to his wife, Sofia. They have one child together.

External links

• Official Campaign Website
• Twitter Account
• Facebook Page
• Syed Taj's Vote Smart Profile