Syed Rifat Mahmood

Syed Rifat Mahmood (usually known as Syed Mahmood) is a businessman and politician in Northern California. He was the Republican candidate for California's 18th State Assembly district in the California State Assembly elections, 2000 and the Republican candidate for California's 13th congressional district in United States elections, 2002.

According to his campaign website in 2002, "Syed Mahmood was born in India and grew up in Pakistan... the eldest in a family of eleven children ... he immigrated to the United States in 1969." He is a past "president of United Muslims of America (U. M..A.), a California-based public affairs organization comprising Americans of many different ethnic backgrounds" and "played a key role in the erection of a house of worship for the benefit of all the East Bay communities". He is also the "founder of The American Institute of International Studies" and serves as President of that institution." He has served on "several community committees", appointed "by the Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco". He has also served as an elected member of the Central Committee of the Alameda County Republican Party for a two-year term and as a nominated member for California State Republican Party's Central Committee for two terms. His campaign site went on to say that "he has worked for the Reagan and Bush presidential campaigns and served as one of the co-chair for Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Lungren."