New York: Democratic Socialist Aber Kawas has become the first Palestinian-American woman to be elected to the New York State Senate.
Kawas secured more than 74 per cent of the votes to defeat Republican candidate Han-Khon To in District 12 of the New York State Senate, the upper chamber of the state legislature.
"We made history," Kawas, a hijab-wearing Muslim woman, posted on X after the unofficial results came out on Wednesday.
A state senate is a regional legislative body, unlike the US Senate or the US House of Representatives, which are the main focus of the midterm elections.
Kawas was born and raised in Brooklyn and is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants. Her campaign was endorsed by Zohran Mamdani, the Mayor of New York City.
Kawas was arrested in September for participating in an anti-Netanyahu protest in New York. QNS reported that she had marched alongside members of Jewish Voice for Peace, an American movement that advocates for Palestinian causes.
The Donald Trump administration has been supporting Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 75,000 Palestinians over the past three years.
(This story was compiled by Arun George)
