Voters Elect 23-Year-Old Nabeela Syed to Illinois 51st District

For Nabeela Syed, the first order of business is thanking everyone who helped her get to become one of the first Gen Z members in state government. On Election Day, voters in the 51st district elected the 23-year-old to the Illinois House of Representatives

“It is an honor, and I am grateful that people in this community are trusting me,” the hijab-wearing Syed said.  

As she prepares to clean out her Palatine campaign office, Syed said she doesn’t believe people in her once conservative Northwest suburban district necessarily vote along party lines.

“They vote based on the candidate and they vote based on issues,” Syed said. “And that is what we communicated this entire time.”

Nabeela Syed is a Palatine native and believes that makes it easier for her to relate to her constituents and understand their concerns.

“They want to lower prescription costs, they want communities that are safer from gun violence, they want to reform our property tax system,” she said.

In Springfield, Syed plans to focus her legislative efforts on maintaining reproductive rights and promoting gun safety. She still remembers the first active shooter drill her school conducted while she was in the third grade. When police officers tested the locked doors of her classroom, Syed said she and her classmates were terrified.

“It is now very sad to think young kids are now doing this in daycare because the threat of mass shootings is so high,” she said.

Syed, who worked with voting rights organizations before quitting to run for office, will be headed to Springfield in late November for her legislative orientation.

At 23-years-old, Syed is one of the youngest members of Illinois' general assembly. Republican Brad Fritts, who won Tuesday's race for state representative in Illinois' 74th district, is the youngest, at age 22.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect that Republican Brad Fritts is the youngest member of Illinois' General Assembly.