Abby Kousas Becomes First Palestinian-American to Win Senate Seat
Press coverage 1 newspapers covered this event: Al-Qabas →
Abby Kousas achieves a historic victory in the New York State Senate with support from Zohran Mamdani.
Translated by Qiyas from القبس — Original source
In a historic first, American Palestinian Abir Qawas secured a historic victory by winning a seat in the New York State Senate for District 12, becoming the first American Palestinian woman wearing a hijab to reach the state legislature. Commenting on her victory, Qawas said, “We have made history,” after overcoming smear campaigns targeting her from right-wing figures and pro-occupation accounts during an election campaign that garnered support from supporters of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America. Qawas hails from a Palestinian family that was displaced to Jordan in 1948 before moving to the United States, where she was born in New York. Her family’s experience with displacement and migration, along with her father’s detention and subsequent deportation to Jordan, formed a core part of her political motivations. Qawas ran her campaign under the slogan “Fund Dignity, Defund Destruction,” calling for improved healthcare, transportation, and housing, protection for immigrants, an end to U.S. funding for Israel’s war on Gaza, and the redirection of public funds toward community needs rather than war.
