He is a retiree from General Electric Corporation and served as a member of the State of Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole from 2006 to 2013.
He was endorsed by the retiring representative JoAnne Favors, who said, "Yusuf Hakeem is the right person for the job...
He has years of experience in public service, and would not face a learning curve as a first time elected official.
[5] He won the contested Democratic primary on August 2, 2018,[6] and won the office on November 6, 2018, defeating Lemon Williams, Jr.[7] In 2017, the NRA Political Victory Fund rated Hakeem 13% on his position on gun control and gun rights.
[9] Hakeem supports expanding public healthcare, lowering prescription drug costs, and increasing funding for primary care and community health centers.
"[18][19] Hakeem's website states, "Nearly 40 percent of the District 28 will experience a year of poverty at some point during their lives.