SMFNews: Connecticut’s First Muslim State Representative Wins a Senate Seat

Header photo: The Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford at sunset. Photo: Paul Danese (CC0).

HARTFORD, Conn. — State Rep. Maryam Khan, the first Muslim member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, has won a seat in the state Senate, FOX61 reported. Khan won the 2nd State Senate District on Nov. 3, defeating Timothy Knotts, an educator and lawyer.

Khan received 23,804 votes (85%) to 4,303 (15%) for Knotts, according to provisional results compiled by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association. The results are provisional until they are certified by the state. The district includes parts of Bloomfield, Hartford and Windsor.

A first in the Connecticut House

Born in Pakistan, Khan won a March 2022 special election to represent the 5th House District, becoming the first Muslim member of the Connecticut House, and was reelected that November, FOX61 reported. She went on to serve as House chair of the Select Committee on Special Education and as a member of the Appropriations, Education and Judiciary committees.

Khan, a special education teacher, has worked to direct resources toward special education and to secure more funding for schools in her district, according to FOX61 and CT News Junkie. FOX61 reported that she has also promoted bills on victim safety and protection.

The Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, where the General Assembly meets. Photo: Shah Ronak S (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The road to the Senate

Khan won the district’s August primary, defeating incumbent Sen. Doug McCrory and Windsor Board of Education Chair Ayana Taylor, CT News Junkie reported. In her victory speech that night in Hartford, she said voters had responded to a campaign built on schools and safety.

— Maryam Khan, after winning the 2nd Senate District primary, Aug. 11, 2026, via CT News Junkie

Khan told CT News Junkie that families she met while campaigning wanted strong public schools for every child. “In all of the doors that I’ve ever knocked in this district, not one time did I hear a family say that they want more choices for schools,” she said.

— Maryam Khan, Aug. 11, 2026, via CT News Junkie

Khan’s win is one of several by Muslim Americans in state legislative races this year. For more results, see SMF News’ roundup of Muslim candidates who won state and local offices. SMF News does not endorse any party or candidate.

Sources

FOX61 (updated Nov. 4, 2026); Connecticut Business & Industry Association, 2026 state Senate results (Nov. 4, 2026); CT News Junkie (Aug. 11, 2026); SMF News, Nov. 6 state and local results roundup.