‘My mother said, if I didn’t do it, who would?’: Hyderabadi-origin Nabeela Syed wins Illinois Senate seat at 27: Maktoob

Nabeela Syed, a 27-year-old Democrat and daughter of Indian immigrants from Hyderabad, has defeated Republican incumbent Darby Hills to win a seat in the Illinois State Senate in the United States midterm elections.

Syed won the contest in the 26th Senate District in the November 3 election, becoming one of the youngest members of the Illinois Senate. Her victory was reported by Indian Muslim news outlet Maktoob.

Addressing supporters after her victory, Syed highlighted the significance of her win as a young woman of colour challenging a Republican incumbent.

“You don’t see young women of colour… flipping Republican-held seats,” she said.

The election was among the most expensive legislative contests in Illinois, with candidates raising a combined $6.5 million. Affordability, healthcare and the growing number of data centres were among the key issues in Syed’s campaign.

Born and raised in Palatine, Illinois, Syed first entered electoral politics in 2022 at the age of 23. She defeated Republican candidate Chris Bos to win a seat in the Illinois House of Representatives, becoming the youngest lawmaker in the state. She retained the seat in 2024 before running for the State Senate.

Her parents immigrated to the United States from Hyderabad in the 1980s. Reflecting on their sacrifices in a 2022 interview with NBC News, Syed said her political journey would not have been possible without their support.

“My mother said if I didn’t do it, who would?” she said.

Syed decided to wear the hijab while in Class 9, a decision she described as one of the defining moments in developing her sense of personal agency. Her father initially had concerns that she might face bullying because of it.

She entered politics following Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election, saying his divisive rhetoric and the rise of far-right politics made her question whether she belonged in the country where she was born and raised.

She subsequently became involved in campaigning for progressive candidates, including those contesting school board elections.

In a December 2022 interview with Maktoob, Syed recalled facing anti-Muslim discrimination while growing up in the United States.

She said she had been called a terrorist and had experienced an incident in Washington DC when someone attempted to spit on her during an internship.

“I grew up in a post-9/11 world where we were seeing a lot of people respond in fear, and some responded with bigotry,” she told Maktoob, describing how Muslims were often stereotyped because of the actions of a few individuals.

She also emphasised that wearing the hijab should remain a woman's personal choice, saying women should have the freedom to wear it or not.

Syed graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with double majors in Political Science and Business Administration. She has also been involved in promoting leadership opportunities for young Muslim women and interfaith dialogue through the Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs.

During her tenure in the Illinois House, Syed sponsored and co-sponsored legislation on healthcare, education and public services.

According to her campaign website, her legislative achievements include measures to curb price gouging on generic medicines, expand breast cancer screening, improve access to mental healthcare and strengthen public education funding.

She also supported legislation regulating the use of artificial intelligence in schools and preventing community colleges from replacing professors with AI.

Healthcare affordability, reproductive rights, gun safety and rising living costs featured prominently in her campaign. She has pledged to continue advocating for affordable healthcare and economic opportunities for working families, senior citizens and other residents of Illinois.