Pakistani-Americans Run for State Seats in November
Several Pakistani-American candidates are contesting state legislative and state senate seats in the November 3, 2026 midterm elections.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Elections
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Pakistani-American candidates are contesting seats in several US states ahead of the midterm elections on November 3, 2026. The contests are for state-level offices, not for the US Congress.
Why it matters
The candidacies reflect growing participation by Pakistani-Americans in state-level politics across multiple states. State legislative seats shape policy on local issues that directly affect residents across the country.
The available candidate lists identify Pakistani-American candidates in six states, all running for state-level offices rather than federal seats. No comparison with prior election cycles is available, and final ballot status remains unconfirmed.
The players
Salman Bhojani
Bhojani is a Texas state legislator seeking re-election to House District 92.
Suleman Lalani
Lalani is a Texas state legislator seeking re-election to House District 76.
The details
Maryam Khan and Saud Anwar are contesting Connecticut State Senate seats, while Salman Bhojani and Suleman Lalani are seeking re-election to Texas House Districts 92 and 76. Other candidates include Farooq Mughal in Georgia, Tariq Khan in Pennsylvania, Hanadi Nadeem in Nevada, and Imtiaz Mohammad as a Republican in Florida.
Timeline
November 3, 2026: US midterm elections, including the state legislative and state senate contests.
Big Picture
The contests extend a pattern of South Asian-American candidates entering state legislatures across several states. The extraction does not supply a specific documented precedent to compare these candidacies against.
Voters in Connecticut, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Florida will see these candidates on their state-level ballots in November. The outcomes will determine which representatives hold state legislative and state senate seats in those states.
The takeaway
Voters interested in state-level races can check candidate lists in their own states to see who is running for legislative seats before the November 3, 2026 election. State legislative contests often shape local policy more directly than many federal races.
Further reading
Explore more coverage in Elections for context on the November 2026 contests.
Source note: This article includes information reported by GEO TV.
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