Indeed, this election was dominated by established candidates, including a ticket headed by former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, who was ousted after the 2014 Islamic State blitz of Iraq despite his coalition winning the most votes. Other leading candidates in this election included Abadi and Hadi al-Ameri, head of one of Iraq's largest Shiite militias. A bloc backed Sadr, who rose to prominence opposing U.S. forces from 2003 to 2011, is also expected to do well.