FLATBUSH – Joel Anabilah-Azumah has been living in Brooklyn since he was 9-years-old. Now, he is running for Congress as an Independent against the 12-year incumbent Yvette Clarke, who is also facing a primary challenge from Adem Bunkeddeko, and Republican Earl Blum.

Joel Anabilah-Azumah on Arming Teachers, Supporting the Muslim Ban, And Not Allowing Transgender People To Serve. He’s Running For Congress.

BIOGRAPHY
EDUCATION
Union College, Schenectady NY, BSCE, 2005

iVoterGuide candidate profile

Joel Azumah has lived in Brooklyn since he was nine. He earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Union College in 2005.

Joel Anabilah-Azumah - iVoterGuide

About
Joel B. Anabilah-Azumah is a Republican candidate for the U.S. House in New York's 9th Congressional District. He is the founder and owner of TransportAzumah, a New York City-area bus service company. He earned a B.S. in civil engineering from Union College (2005) and has worked as a volleyball coach, including serving as an assistant coach at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Joel Anabilah-Azumah

Joel Azumah is the founder and owner of TransportAzumah, a New York City-area bus service company. He has also worked as a volleyball coach, including as an assistant coach at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

2026 NY-09 Congressional Election | Polls, Candidates & Odds

Joel is the founder and owner of TransportAzumah, a New York City-area bus service company. He has also worked as a volleyball coach, including as an assistant coach at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

2026 New York General Election

ECONOMY
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has a livable income.
Agree

Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree

How would you guarantee Social Security benefits for future generations?
Social Security must be invested in a similar manner to how insurance companies invest their assets.

Under what circumstances should taxpayers help pay off existing student loans?
Taxpayers should help pay for student loans when they study in a field that the government deems critical. For example, the government should pay for the education of doctors and nurses because we never have enough of them.

In priority order, what three areas of legislation do you propose to author or sponsor if elected?
Introduction of term limits for Congress & Senate. A new, expanded infrastructure bill. National gun ownership reciprocity.

We want our communities to be safe and full of people who are invested in the health of our neighborhoods.
We want to keep as much of the money we earn as possible. You spend your money better than the government does.

Joel Anabilah-Azumah for Congress (Home)

We want to keep as much of the money we earn as possible. You spend your money better than the government does.
We want the members of our community to be able to buy property if they are interested. Property ownership should not be punished by the government with high taxes or onerous regulations.

“There are a lot of politicians that never actually run a business. And running a business is a situation where sometimes you can do everything you’re supposed to do and still not make your money. And I’m the kind of person that I doesn’t want taxes to go up, I believe that people spend their own money better than the government and that we should help people whenever possible to help them make their own lives better instead of making the government involved in things they don’t need to be in.”

We want the members of our community to be able to buy property if they are interested. Property ownership should not be punished by the government with high taxes or onerous regulations.
We want investment in American infrastructure such as the Utica Avenue Subway instead of war.

Said the government is responsible for ensuring everyone has a livable income.

Supports free enterprise and private-property rights as essential to a productive economic system.

Proposes investing Social Security assets similarly to insurance companies' investments to guarantee future benefits.

Supports taxpayer-funded student-loan repayment for government-designated critical fields, including doctors and nurses.

Proposes a new, expanded infrastructure bill.

Opposes raising taxes and high taxes or onerous regulations on property ownership.

Wants investment in American infrastructure, including the Utica Avenue Subway, rather than war.

- Said the government is responsible for ensuring everyone has a livable income.
- Supports free enterprise and private-property rights as essential to a productive economic system.
- Proposes investing Social Security assets similarly to insurance companies' investments to guarantee future benefits.
- Supports taxpayer-funded student-loan repayment for government-designated critical fields, including doctors and nurses.
- Proposes a new, expanded infrastructure bill.
- Opposes raising taxes and high taxes or onerous regulations on property ownership.
- Wants investment in American infrastructure, including the Utica Avenue Subway, rather than war.

Economy

2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
All of the necessary restrictions are already in place. The Stand Your Ground law should be national, along with the penalties for misuse of firearms.

I support the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Strongly Agree

Crime
Stop and frisk is a policy he disagrees with. In order to lower crime in the district, Anabilah-Azumah believes that the police and community need to have a better relationship.
“Frankly, the community needs to reach out to the police and establish a dialogue on what kind of policing we need on certain kinds of things,” he said. “Because there are other districts that have very good relationships with the police and the police make it their business to understand those communities. I don’t think we have that same kind of understanding in most of this district.”

Proposes eliminating health-care middlemen that do not add value, requiring routine price ranges to be posted online, limiting payment for certain drugs, and lowering Affordable Care Act deductibles.

Supports legalizing recreational marijuana.

Calls for dialogue between communities and police to establish local policing approaches and improve police-community relationships.

Proposes national reciprocity for gun ownership.

- Proposes eliminating health-care middlemen that do not add value, requiring routine price ranges to be posted online, limiting payment for certain drugs, and lowering Affordable Care Act deductibles.
- Supports legalizing recreational marijuana.
- Calls for dialogue between communities and police to establish local policing approaches and improve police-community relationships.
- Proposes national reciprocity for gun ownership.

Public Safety

RIGHT TO LIFE
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Strongly Agree

Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds or grants from federal, state, or local governments.
Agree

I support the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which requires health care providers to provide life-saving treatment for infants who survive an attempted abortion.
Strongly Agree

Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Any situation in which the baby was conceived involuntarily or because of illegal actions (such as incest or rape). The government should use all available means to get people to voluntarily reduce the conception of unwanted babies.

HEALTHCARE
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has health insurance.
Disagree

I support the elimination of private healthcare insurance.
Disagree

How would you promote healthcare coverage that is adequate, affordable and accessible for all?
Middlemen that do not add value to health care must be removed. Hospitals should have a fixed range of pricing for routine procedures on their website. That way, people can manage the cost of their care by cross shopping facilities. The government should not pay for drugs that are unreasonably priced and/or largely ineffective at life extension. Insurance offered through the ACA should have lower deductibles. Often, the deductible is equal to or greater than the premium paid for the policy.

Believes human life begins at conception and should receive legal protection until natural death.

Supports ending taxpayer funding and grants for abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood.

Supports the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which requires treatment for infants who survive an attempted abortion.

Said abortion should be allowed when conception was involuntary or resulted from illegal acts, including incest or rape.

Opposes making the government responsible for ensuring everyone has health insurance.

Opposes eliminating private health insurance.

Proposes eliminating health-care middlemen that do not add value, requiring routine-price ranges online, limiting payment for certain drugs, and lowering Affordable Care Act deductibles.

- Believes human life begins at conception and should receive legal protection until natural death.
- Supports ending taxpayer funding and grants for abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood.
- Supports the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which requires treatment for infants who survive an attempted abortion.
- Said abortion should be allowed when conception was involuntary or resulted from illegal acts, including incest or rape.
- Opposes making the government responsible for ensuring everyone has health insurance.
- Opposes eliminating private health insurance.
- Proposes eliminating health-care middlemen that do not add value, requiring routine-price ranges online, limiting payment for certain drugs, and lowering Affordable Care Act deductibles.

Healthcare

As of September 9, 2026, Joel Azumah’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Energy & the Environment

What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
I would end the wars in Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen in order to help balance the budget.

NATIONAL SECURITY
The best way to maintain peace is through a strong military.
Agree

What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of radical Islamic terrorism?
The United States should stop covert usage of Islamic militants in their classified operations.

IMMIGRATION
I am in favor of construction of a wall and other necessary infrastructure on our border that gives complete control over entering and exiting the United States.
Strongly Agree

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished.
Strongly Disagree

State and federal funds should be denied to any public or private entity, including but not limited to sanctuary cities, that are not in compliance with immigration laws.
Strongly Agree

Employers should be required to use E-verify to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States.
Agree

Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Anyone that can improve the quality of life or function of the US should be admitted. A new guest worker program should be implemented in order to address shortages of employees in certain industries while giving those people full protection under US law.

ICE Raiding Courts
Anabilah-Azumah believes that though ICE should target “criminal aliens… it needs to be a little bit more pragmatic and understanding that the goal of their operations is to get immigrants to register and adjust their status appropriately and do the right thing, as opposed to a snatch and grab,” he said.

Plans to end the wars in Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen to help balance the budget.

Believes a strong military is the best way to maintain peace.

Calls for the United States to stop covert use of Islamic militants in classified operations.

Supports building a border wall and other infrastructure to control entry into and exit from the United States.

Opposes abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Supports withholding state and federal funds from entities, including sanctuary cities, that do not comply with immigration laws.

Supports requiring employers to use E-Verify to confirm employees' eligibility to work in the United States.

Proposes a guest-worker program to address industry labor shortages while providing workers full protection under U.S. law.

Said Immigration and Customs Enforcement should target "criminal aliens" while helping immigrants register and adjust their status rather than conducting a "snatch and grab."

- Plans to end the wars in Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen to help balance the budget.
- Believes a strong military is the best way to maintain peace.
- Calls for the United States to stop covert use of Islamic militants in classified operations.
- Supports building a border wall and other infrastructure to control entry into and exit from the United States.
- Opposes abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- Supports withholding state and federal funds from entities, including sanctuary cities, that do not comply with immigration laws.
- Supports requiring employers to use E-Verify to confirm employees' eligibility to work in the United States.
- Proposes a guest-worker program to address industry labor shortages while providing workers full protection under U.S. law.
- Said Immigration and Customs Enforcement should target "criminal aliens" while helping immigrants register and adjust their status rather than conducting a "snatch and grab."

Foreign Policy and Immigration

The Electoral College should be abolished.
Strongly Disagree

Opposes abolishing the Electoral College.

Proposes term limits for Congress and the Senate.

- Opposes abolishing the Electoral College.
- Proposes term limits for Congress and the Senate.

Voting & Elections

Education

LinkedIn

Joel Azumah

- Opposes raising taxes and high taxes or onerous regulations on property ownership.
- Wants investment in American infrastructure, including the Utica Avenue Subway, rather than war.

Mauricio Mendez

Buket Urgen

Yvette D. Clarke

- Your US Representative represents the interests of your district in the US House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. New York currently has 26 US Representatives.
- US Representatives can author, sponsor, debate, and vote on bills that become national law.
- Representatives may serve on congressional committees. Committees focus on certain policy areas, such as transportation, education, or labor. They may also run for higher positions within their party, such as the Speaker of the House or Majority/Minority Leader.
- Representatives are elected to two-year terms. To hold this office, a candidate must be a US Citizen for at least seven years before their election and a New York resident. US Representatives are paid a salary of $174,000/year.

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