Indian-American candidates win historic legislative seats in Illinois and Michigan

Several Indian-American candidates achieved historic electoral victories in recent US midterm elections. In Illinois, Democrat Nabeela Syed, 27, won a seat in the State Senate for the 26th District, defeating Republican incumbent Darby Hills. Syed, the daughter of immigrants from Hyderabad, previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives.

Saba Haider, an India-born Democrat, became the first South Asian woman elected to the Illinois General Assembly. Representing the 84th District, Haider secured 70.9 per cent of the vote against Republican Brian Scopa. Haider, an alumna of Aligarh Muslim University, previously served on the DuPage County Board.

In Michigan, Ranjeev Puri was elected Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, becoming the first Indian-American to hold the position. Puri, a Democrat, has served in the state House since 2020.