Saba Haider Makes History as First South Asian Woman Elected to Illinois General Assembly

At least 30 Indian-origin candidates won in the 2026 US midterm elections, but one name caught everyone's attention: Saba Haider. Saba, 42, ran for the 84th House District of Illinois on the Democratic Party ticket and defeated Republican candidate Brian Scopa. Saba received 20,756 votes (70.9%), while Scopa received only 8,520 votes (29.1%). With this victory, Saba Haider has become the first South Asian woman to be elected to the Illinois General Assembly. Saba Haider was born in India and has family roots in the town of Aurangabad in Bulandshahr district. Her father Syed Ali Haider is a retired engineer and mother Chandni. Due to her father's work, the family settled in Ghaziabad and Saba was brought up there. Saba was sharp in her studies from the beginning. She completed her schooling from Holy School, Ghaziabad, and completed her graduation from Ramgarh Girls'High School and completed her Masters in Science (BSc) from Aligarh Muslim University.