Representative Abdelnasser Rashid Contact information

Abdelnasser Rashid is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 21st district. The district includes the Southwest Side and southwest suburbs. Rashid is the first Palestinian-American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly and is its first Muslim member, along with Nabeela Syed.

Rashid was born in Chicago, Illinois. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Economics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Rashid worked on Chuy García’s 2015 mayoral campaign and on Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign. He also served as deputy chief of staff to Cook County Clerk David Orr, for two years. In 2018, Rashid unsuccessfully ran for Cook County Commission. In 2020, he ran for Cook County Board of Review, also unsuccessfully. Rashid had been advised to change his name to “Nas” and downplay his background in order to appeal to voters with prejudices against Arabs or perceived foreigners.

In the Illinois 21st Representative Democratic Primary, 2022, Rashid received 4,214 votes, which was 52.3% of the total votes. In the Illinois 21st Representative District General Election, 2022, Rashid received 14,800 votes, which was 65.9% of the total votes.

Rashid’s career has been focused on fighting for working families and building a strong middle class. His legislative priorities include property tax relief, affordable housing, environmental protection and consumer protection. He lives in Bridgeview with his wife and three children.