Nabeela Syed becomes youngest member of Illinois House
INDIAN AMERICAN politician Nabeela Syed has made history in the mid-term elections in the US by becoming the youngest member to get elected to the Illinois general assembly.
The 23-year-old Democrat defeated Republican Chris Bos to flip a GOP-held suburban district.
The Muslim woman of Indian origin received 52.3 per cent votes in the election for the 51st District in the Illinois State House of Representatives.
She later said in a tweet, ‘My name is Nabeela Syed. I am a 23-year-old Muslim, Indian-American woman. We just flipped a Republican-held suburban district.‘ She added, ‘And in January, I’ll be the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly.’
In another post, she said, ‘Thank you thread incoming tomorrow. We had an incredible team that made this possible.’
Syed also penned a long note on Instagram about her journey. She said, ‘When I announced for State Representative, I made it a mission to genuinely engage in conversation with people – to give them a reason to get involved in our democracy and hope for better leadership that represents their values.’
She added that she won this race ‘because we engaged in that conversation.’
Thanking everyone for their support, Syed said, ‘I knocked every door in this district. Tomorrow, I start knocking them again to thank them for placing their trust in me. I’m ready to get to work.’
In June, Syed was declared the winner in the Democratic primary election against Chelsea Laiberte Barnes who she defeated comprehensively.
Syed was born in Palatine in Illinois and did her graduation from the University of California, Berkeley, where she received a degree in political science and business administration. There, she also served as the president of a pro-bono consulting body aiding local businesses and nonprofits.
She has been an active member in her religious community at the Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs and works on advocating interfaith dialogue and empowering young Muslim women to take up leadership roles.
She has worked with various organizations such as EMILY’s List to raise money to elect Democratic members to the Congress, according to her website.
She also works for a non-profit in digital strategy.
Bera, 57, the senior most among the Indian-American politicians of all who is seeking his sixth consecutive term was leading by more than 12 per cent of the votes against his Republican rival Tamika Hamilton as per the latest reporting when 52 per cent of the votes polled were counted.
Indian-American candidates picked up seats in State legislatures also.
In Maryland, Aruna Miller scripted history by becoming the first Indian-American politician to win the race of Lieutenant Governor.
Miller, 58, a former delegate to the Maryland House, was on the Lieutenant Governor ticket along with Wes Moore - the Democratic Governor-elect.
However, Indian-American Sandeep Srivastava lost from Texas’s third Congressional district to Keith Self, the former Colin County judge.
The emergence of a large number of young Indian-American candidates reflects the growing desire of this small ethnic community comprising just one per cent of the US population of 33.19 crores.
Ahead of the November 8 elections, the Democrats and the Republicans reached out to the Indian-American community.
Meanwhile, Democrats celebrated Sunday (13) a stunning victory to hold the US Senate, leaving Republicans in disarray and providing a critical base of political and legislative support for the remainder of Joe Biden’s presidency.
The deciding moment in the battle for control of the Senate came late Saturday (12), when US networks called the Nevada race for Democratic incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto, giving the party the 50 seats it needs for an effective majority.