Cyrus Habib Named One of Top 40 Under 40 Rising Political Stars

May 27, 2014, Washington, D.C. – Washington State Representative Cyrus Habib was recently named one of the top 40 under 40 rising political stars by the Washington Post. “It’s not hard to see Habib quickly moving up the political ladder,” notes the Washington Post.

Cyrus Habib is the first American of Iranian heritage to serve in a state legislature and is the highest ranking Iranian American in elected office. In 2012, Habib was elected with over 61 percent of the vote to represent Washington’s 48th House Legislative District. His campaign set a record for the most money ever raised for a State House campaign in Washington State. He is currently running for the 48th Legislative District in the Washington State Senate.

Habib was raised in Bellevue, Washington, and at the age of eight, he lost his eyesight to a rare form of childhood cancer. He attended Columbia University, Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and Yale Law School, where he was editor of the law review. He currently practices law with the Seattle firm of Perkins Coie, specializing in meeting the legal needs of high-tech start-ups.

Even though Habib is a freshman legislator, he is seen as a rising star in Washington’s Democratic Party. In late 2013, he was selected as one of twelve legislators nation-wide to watch in 2014. He serves as the vice chair of the Technology and Economic Development Committee as well as on the Business and Financial Services and Transportation committees. Habib was also the prime sponsor of the Washington State Jobs Act, which became law in March of 2014 and enables start-up companies in Washington State to engage in equity crowdfunding.