In a historic first Pakistani American Shama Haider wins NJ State Assembly seat
Both Haider and Park were among the first-ever Asian American women to serve in the legislature.
NEW JERSEY (Web Desk) - Pakistani American Shama Haider, chair of the Democratic Party in Tenafly, New Jersey has won her first term seat to the state Assembly from the 37th legislative district. She and Ellen Park of Englewood Cliffs “handily defeated their Republican challengers, Edward Durfee of Northvale and Perley Patrick of Teaneck,” northjersey.com reported.
Both Haider and Park were among the first-ever Asian American women to serve in the legislature. They ran on a ticket with Assemblyman Gordon Johnson (D-Englewood) who was elected to the 37th legislative district’s Senate seat. “The victory places a capstone on a contentious year in the 37th, which includes 13 Bergen County towns and is viewed as reliably liberal — registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by about 3 to 1,” the northjersey.com report said.
“Congrats to my mother, Shama Haider, elected to New Jersey State assembly,” tweeted her son, Ali Haider, an interventional and structural cardiologist.” The first Muslim or Pakistani ever in NJ!”
The Pakistan-born Haider was previously elected to the governing body of her town as a councilwoman and has run for mayor While she was a councilwoman, Haider was the chair of the Tenafly Environmental Commission — initiating the first environmental resource inventory for Tenafly.
Her activism dates back to her youth in Pakistan when she was a college student protesting against military dictatorship as part of the progressive Pakistan People s Party. Later, she became secretary to the first lady of Pakistan, Begum Nusrat Bhutto.
Haider came to the US in 1977, settling in Bergen County. She is a former fundraiser for a nonprofit that supports arts in schools and is the chairwoman of the Tenafly Democratic party. Over the years she has also served on county and borough commissions focused on women, human services, the environment and business development.
