Washington, DC — In a quiet ward at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in the US capital, a frail hand grips his. Anne Frederick, a retired Air Force officer, Vietnam veteran, cancer survivor, and amputee, tells him she will make sure "her vote for you counts." Then she reaches for her chequebook.

It is not a large amount, but for Ommair Butt, the Republican nominee for Virginia's House of Delegates in District 26, it carries the weight of history. "She wrote me that cheque right there in the hospital," he recalls. "That moment reminded me why I'm doing this."

Loudoun County, the wealthiest county in America, is his battlefield.

Once a Republican stronghold (between 1952 and 2008, Loudoun was a Republican-leaning county), it has turned deep blue, dominated by the Democratic establishment that controls its schools, boardrooms, and politics.

Ommair, 43, knows what he's up against. His Democratic counterpart, JJ Singh, is the favoured candidate in the November 4 election, but his position remains fragile amid voter uncertainty.

"When I decided to run, I knew this area was D+23 (Democratic leaning)," he tells TRT World. "I'm the underdog in this fight. But I took it as a challenge for my kids and the kids of this community. You don't quit because it's hard. You do it because it matters."

Born in Pakistan, brought to New York when he was five, Ommair is a Muslim American who is the Republican nominee for a state delegate position in America.

His story is the kind that easily fits into the mythology of the American Dream.

"That dream is still alive. I'm living proof," he says.

Endorsed by Republican leadership

For nearly two decades, he has worked in the technology sector, holding top secret clearance from the US government while serving as a civilian contractor with the US Army, Navy, and Department of Homeland Security.

"I take great pride in serving my country," he says. "That's the passion that got me into federal service to begin with."

Yet the campaign trail in Loudoun County has been anything but bureaucratic.

Yard signs disappear overnight. Social media insults pile up. "I've had trash thrown at me," he says. "But I stay focused. I tell my supporters that I have to impress my kids before I impress my constituents." His son just turned ten; his daughter is six.

Ommair's campaign, he says, is about the values that built the country he calls home.

"Loudoun County is a small picture of America based on the diversity and beautiful colours of the county," he says. "If you want to see change, you have to be part of it. Sitting on a couch or getting on social media doesn't cut it. Roll up your sleeves and take the first step to kindness. That’s how you build bridges."

That bridge-building has taken him into synagogues, churches, mosques, and living rooms across the US state of Virginia.

Ommair has been endorsed by Virginia's top Republican leadership, including Governor Glenn Youngkin, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, and Attorney General Jason Miyares.

"I've been endorsed by the Republican chairman of the party, Senator Mark Peake," he says. "Mike Clancy, Gary Higgins. They all believe in what I'm doing — bringing communities together."

But Ommair's pitch to voters is not just about faith or background. It's about policy. He talks about power lines, data centres, schools, and drugs.

"Loudoun has 200 data centres running, another hundred in development, and another hundred in application. That's 400 data centres in one county," he says. "I'm not against data centres. They bring revenue. But we need a fair balance."

He has campaigned for years to push Dominion Energy to bury its high-voltage transmission lines underground, citing health and environmental concerns. "They’re trying to build towers taller than the Statue of Liberty near schools," he says. "That's wrong."

Faith, freedom, boundaries

His grassroots activism, he says, has drawn crowds. "At the September hearing, more than a thousand people showed up physically," he says.

"A week later, another 650 came to the next one. Thousands sent emails. But when the legacy media reported it, they didn’t even mention me. They gave credit to others who never lifted a finger. That's suppression of speech. That’s what’s happening in our country."

The Republican candidate's views on education are firm. "Schools should be focused on education, period," Ommair says. "Math, science, no drama, no drugs." He opposes gender identity policies in schools, arguing they create confusion.

"I respect people's beliefs and values," he says. "But personal life behind closed doors is one thing. Forcing everyone else to change reality is another."

He tells a story that resonates with many conservative parents. "One constituent told me how her 13-year-old daughter needed Tylenol at school, and the school required her signature," he says.

"But if the same daughter, for instance, wanted a gender transition, she wouldn't need permission, and taxpayers would pay for it. That's not right. We need to protect childhood."

His anti-drug stance is equally fierce. "Drugs have become a slick way to put America behind," Ommair says. "If you’re getting the next generation hooked, what happens to the economy? It collapses."

'Only in America'

For a candidate running as a Republican in an overwhelmingly Democratic county, Ommair cuts an unlikely figure. Muslim, immigrant, and deeply patriotic, he occupies a unique space in American politics.

He pauses when talking about President Donald Trump. "God bless President Trump," he says. "He's a survivor. He was attempted to be assassinated twice, but he continued to fight for America. He brought peace through the Gaza initiative. Everyone appreciates that. He's a man of his word."

When Ommair lost a primary last year, he immediately endorsed his rival. "Because one Republican win is every Republican win," he says. "I campaigned for her. I took her to mosques, introduced her to people. That's unity. That's how we win together."

He says his wife, who wears a headscarf, is the quiet strength of his campaign. "She has been very supportive, taking care of our kids while I campaign. I couldn’t have done it without her."

It is late autumn now, and he moves through Loudoun’s cul-de-sacs and church halls with a calm intensity. The county’s glass towers glint in the distance. Data centres hum, power lines crisscross the skyline, and new families move in every week from across the world.

For Ommair, that's what makes this fight worth it.

"Only in America," he says. "Only in America could a Pakistani immigrant, Muslim, Republican candidate be running to represent the richest county in the country. That's the beauty of it. That's why I fight."