Two Illinois Senators Trace Back Roots to Telugu States
Daughter of Hyderabad-based immigrants who moved to the United States in the 1980s, 23-year-old Nabeela was born and raised in Palatine, Illinois.
Hyderabad: Nabeela Syed and Ram Villivalam, who trace back their origins to Telugu states, were elected to the Illinois state senate in the recent mid-term elections. They represent the Democratic party and will be sworn into office on January 13, 2027.
Nabeela Syed, whose family’s roots are from Hyderabad, won in the Illinois state senate elections against Republican opponent and incumbent state senator Darby Hills with 57.07 per cent of vote share with more than 48,000 votes in the 26th district of Illinois.
Daughter of Hyderabad-based immigrants who moved to the United States in the 1980s, 23-year-old Nabeela was born and raised in Palatine, Illinois. “It's the district that I grew up in. And I shouldn't have to prove that I was born in this country for people to believe that I was born in this country. But that's what we had to do. We had to break down that bigotry", she said while speaking to the public after her victory.
Ram Villivalam, who has been the state senator for Illinois 8th district, won again in the midterm elections, registering a landslide victory against his Republican opponent Vince Romano. Ram received 40,374 votes, more than 73 per cent of the district’s votes, and won the election.
He has been the incumbent state senator since 2018, and has continuously won the senate elections in the district for the past three terms. With 7 years in the position, he served as the chair of the Transportation committee thrice, vice-chair of the Human Rights committee twice, and vice-chair of public safety and infrastructure during his tenure.
His Telugu-speaking parents emigrated to the United States in the 1970s. His father was a civil engineer for the city of Chicago for more than 25 years, while his mother spent 34 years at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation Center in public service. A healthcare consultant by profession, he completed his graduation from the George Washington University. He resides in Chicago with his wife, Elizabeth, and his two sons Rohan and Lokesh.
