Democratic presidential nominee

When Del. Saqib Ali (D-Gaithersburg) ran for a position in the state General Assembly in 2006 he faced challenges that most politicians do not face.

"Some people said to me ‘you have a funny name' and ‘you are a Muslim,'" Ali told PolitickerMD.com.  "They said just go home. Don't run."

Ali, who is of Pakistani and Indian descent, even had to deal with a protester who sat outside his home one-day in the summer of 2006 carrying a sign and shouting derogatory comments about Ali's religion.