DuPage County Board member Saba Haider won the Illinois House 84th District seat on Nov. 3, capturing more than 70% of the unofficial vote.
Haider, a Democrat, defeated Republican Brian Scopa. American Bazaar reported, citing Ballotpedia, that Haider received 71.2% of the vote. The Hindu reported a figure of 70.9%, reflecting an earlier count.
According to NCTV17, all results remain unofficial, with some provisional and vote-by-mail ballots still to be counted.
Results will be official after canvassing no later than Nov. 24.
The 84th District covers parts of Will, DuPage, Kane and Kendall counties, including Aurora, Naperville, Oswego, Montgomery and Boulder Hill.
It has a population of about 110,200, according to Patch.
Haider replaces incumbent Stephanie Kifowit, a Democrat who represented the district since 2013 and chose not to seek an eighth term, Patch reported. Kifowit ran for Illinois comptroller instead.
The Hindu reported that Haider is the first South Asian woman elected to the Illinois General Assembly. American Bazaar, however, noted that state Rep. Nabeela Syed "became the first South Asian woman elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 2022."
The basis for any distinction between the two milestones is not clear from available reporting.
Haider was born in India and settled in the Naperville area after immigrating to the United States in 2007, according to American Bazaar. She won a DuPage County Board District 5 seat in November 2024, defeating Republican incumbent Patricia "Patty" Gustin with 56.23% of the vote.
She chaired the board's Strategic Planning and Environmental committees and served on the DuPage County Health Department's Public Health Board.
She won the March 17 Democratic primary with 63.5% of the vote, defeating Jared Ploger, according to American Bazaar.
"We worked hard for the last 15 months talking to voters in every corner of District 84," Haider said in a social media post on Thursday, Nov. 5, according to The Hindu.
She described the campaign as a "grassroots, people-powered movement."
Scopa, a retired naval commander who served 22 years in the Navy, described himself as "the discipline Springfield is missing," according to Patch's pre-election coverage.
Haider's campaign focused on affordable healthcare, education, economic growth, environmental sustainability and issues affecting working families, American Bazaar reported.
Naperville voters weighed in on eight Illinois House races on Nov. 3, and Democrats swept all of the seats, according to NCTV17.
