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Four politicians of Bangladeshi origin have won seats in the legislatures of four US states amid major Democratic gains in the midterm elections.
They were elected in New Hampshire, Georgia, Connecticut and North Carolina, sparking celebrations and enthusiasm among expatriate Bangladeshis.
Of the four winners in Tuesday’s elections, three contested as Democrats and one as a Republican.
Abul Khan, originally from Pirojpur, was re-elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives for a seventh term as a Republican candidate.
Sheikh Rahman, from Kishoreganj, secured a fifth consecutive term unopposed in Georgia’s State Senate District 5.
Masudur Rahman, originally from Chandpur, won a third term by a wide margin in Connecticut’s State Senate District 4.
Meanwhile, Hasib Fatemi, from Gazipur, won North Carolina’s State Senate District 18.
Another Bangladeshi-origin politician, Saddam Azlan Salim from Noakhali, was elected to Virginia’s State Senate District 37 in 2024. The next election in his district is scheduled for next year.
Expatriate Bangladeshis described the victories of Bangladeshi-origin politicians at the state level, alongside Democratic gains in both chambers of Congress, as a significant development.
Shahjahan Sheikh, a politician from the Bronx in New York, said Americans had delivered their verdict through the ballot box in response to President Donald Trump’s actions over the past two years. He described the outcome as an example of the beauty of democracy.
Faizul Islam, a professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus, said voters had expressed their dissatisfaction with what he described as Trump’s unjust and authoritarian conduct. He believes Trump’s actions have weakened the Republican Party’s support base.
Akhtar Hossain Badal, a businessman from Long Island, said public dissatisfaction had been growing since the beginning of Trump’s second term.
He cited the war with Iran, deteriorating relations with allied countries, anti-immigration measures and rising prices of essential goods as factors that had frustrated ordinary Americans, as well as some Republican supporters.
Khorshed Khandaker, a politician from Queens, said the victories of candidates criticised by Trump had also influenced the election results.
He believes Democrats could create opportunities for themselves in the 2028 presidential election if they manage to meet public expectations over the next two years.
However, Ashraf Ahmed, a writer and retired scientist from Maryland, said the results reflected public dissatisfaction with Trump more than a Democratic victory.
He said the key question was whether Democrats, despite securing majorities in both chambers of Congress, could ease people’s economic hardships in the face of Trump’s opposition.
Ahmed also said that regardless of which party holds power in Washington, major changes in US policy towards Bangladesh are unlikely.