Allam decided to run for public office after having worked behind the scenes in the progressive movement and with voter mobilization efforts because she believed there needed to be more progressive candidates representing the diversity of the American people. She was elected as the Third Vice Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party in January 2017 and was appointed as the Chair of the Durham Mayor's Council for Women, becoming the first Muslim American to serve on the party's executive council, in 2018. As a member of the Mayor's Council for Women, she advises Mayor Steve Schewel on issues pertaining to the rights of women and LGBTQIA community members, especially non-binary and transgender people. As Third Vice Chair of the Democratic Party in North Carolina, she serves alongside Second Chair Matt Hughes, First Chair Aisha Dew, and Party Secretary Melvin Williams, and State Party Chairman Wayne Goodwin. She served as a delegate at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and the 2020 Democratic National Convention.