Politics
Dem-turned-GOP candidate who said America is ‘run on hate’ is back on the ballot in Broward
He lost by double digits running for the Florida Senate in 2024 — still far better than he fared in other bids for Congress and the Florida House — but Imtiaz Mohammad, who declared in 2018 that America is “run on hate,” is back on Broward’s ballot this year.
Mohammad, a former Democrat who switched to Republican in 2022 after becoming fed up with his former party’s support of “homosexuality and same sex marriage,” is challenging Democratic state Rep. Robin Bartleman in House District 103.
Mohammad is again a long-shot candidate. He hasn’t raised a single outside dollar since filing to run last September, depending only on a $2,000 self-loan to pay the state’s qualifying fee. But he’s the only Republican to have filed in the deep-blue district.
Mohammad is less known to the voting public for his political or business acumen than he is for his penchant for shooting himself in the foot, verbally.
During a December 2018 panel discussion on religion and politics at the Darul Uloom Institute and Islamic Training Center in Pembroke Pines, Mohammad — a now 60-year-old Pakistani American who became a U.S. citizen in 2015 — told attendees his adopted country has a rotten underbelly.
“It’s a beautiful saying in America, ‘America is run on Dunkin’ Donuts.’ America is run on hate. That’s my statement. We run this country on hate,” he said.
“The media is the biggest problem in this country. And the American people are the most uneducated nation in the world.”
Mohammad came to the U.S. in 1991 and worked several odd jobs to support his family, including a gig with Dunkin’ Donuts. He and his wife now run a multisite salon business.
When Florida Politics contacted Mohammad about his comments, he doubled down, saying by text, “I clearly stand by my statement.”
“Our communities hate each other, look around you, don’t you see rift among Jews, Muslims, Christians and immigrants? Our politicians use these rifts for their political gain. And divide our countries more,” he said. “We must fight hate to bring peace and love in our communities. We are one nation. We must unite to fight hate from our society. Only way that can happen (is) when we fix our policies to ensure justice and equality for all.”
Mohammad, who briefly ran for Florida’s 24th Congressional District this cycle before refocusing his sights on Bartleman’s seat, lost in 2024 to then-Democratic state Sen. Jason Pizzo, now an independent, by 16.4 percentage points. Mohammad also ran in 2020 as a Democrat against former Republican state Rep. Juan Fernandez-Barquin, losing by 30.6 points, and got trounced in a Democratic Primary in 2018 against then-state Rep. Jared Moskowitz, now a member of Congress, by more than points.
Mohammad’s political journey is an interesting one. In his Democratic bids, he was an ardent backer of independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign and expressed similar support for members of the so-called “Squad,” including U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.
He also appeared and spoke at campaign events for Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, former President Joe Biden and former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
But in 2022, when he forwent running for office, he had a change of heart and joined the GOP, citing Democrats’ support of marriage equality. After the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas terrorists and Israel’s counterattack, which has since killed 75,000 people in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Mohammad urged Muslims to support Republican candidates. Democrats, he argued, have “failed to provide justice and humanitarian support for innocent people of Palestine.”
He added that Republicans will deliver “a peaceful solution for Palestine and Israel,” but didn’t offer examples of GOP foreign policy proposals that would do so. And after a presidential debate held during the 2024 cycle, he urged his followers to “VOTE REPUBLICANS!!!!”
“TRUMP WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT BY STOPPING WARS !!!!!!!”
While Mohammad’s prior runs for elected office were hampered by a lack of funding and janky campaign materials, he has harnessed artificial intelligence to produce more polished images in his latest bid.
In one AI-produced pic of 20 House candidates that urges voters to “Elect the winning team,” he appears at the bottom-right in a differently colored box and is the only one with a check next to his image.
Another juxtaposes him and Bartleman and says the incumbent accepts donations from political committees and special interests, opposed legislation to slash property taxes without a funding replacement and voted against an expansion to Florida’s school voucher program.
By contrast, the image says Mohammad has run a self-funded campaign, will fight to lower property taxes and supports school choice initiatives.
The image also shows Bartleman voted against a ceasefire resolution filed one month after the Oct. 7 attack and notes Mohammad would support “no foreign wars” while demanding “justice” and “accountability.”
International and interfaith peace features prominently in multiple AI posts he’s generated this cycle. One shows Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Hindu people arm in arm as a dove holding an olive branch flies above. Written below them: “Let peace, justice and respect bring us together. Not hate, extremism or war.”
In another, an Israeli boy and a Palestinian boy hug. Below them, a message reads, “Every child’s life has equal value. No child should live in fear. No innocent child should pay the price of war. Reject antisemitism. Reject islamophobia. Protect innocent lives.”
HD 103 covers a western portion of Broward that includes Southwest Ranches, Weston and part of Pembroke Pines.
Bartleman, an educator, former School Board member and former Weston Commissioner, has represented the district since 2020.
She won re-election in 2024 with 54.2% of the vote.
Election Day is Nov. 3.
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