Muslim Civic Coalition Hosts First of Several Post-Election Debriefs: Centering Community, Data, and Shared Priorities After a Contentious Primary Season
Chicago, IL – March 26, 2026 – On Tuesday, March 24, the Muslim Civic Coalition convened more than 50 organizers, resident leaders, and civic advocates from Chicago and North Cook County for its Annual Post-Election Debrief. As the first of several in-person sessions planned across different Chicagoland regions, the gathering created space for genuine connection after the highly contested races, while offering honest reflection, data-driven analysis, and forward-looking planning — all while honoring the hard work of candidates and organizers across the political spectrum. Attendees discussed the Illinois 9th congressional district, State Senate districts 6 and 9, and State House district 12 races.
Invited candidates and elected officials were each given one minute to speak before leaving the room. In their brief remarks, candidates voiced strong support for stopping the bombs and challenging U.S. military aid to Israel, stressed the need to build momentum, and shared that they ran to change policy, underscoring the importance of leaders who look like the communities they serve and are willing to challenge the status quo.
Karim Lakhani, candidate for IL House District 12, shared, “I’m proud of the campaign we ran and we showed the district that often doesn’t see faces like me and stories like mine and my family’s…and I’m really proud of that.”
Candidate for IL Senate District 6, Nick Uniejewski reflected, “We ran the first contested primary in State Senate 6 in over 50 years…We got within 10 points of a 30-year incumbent. We knocked on over 80,000 doors and I could not have done it all by myself, it was thanks to great people like you.”
Milan Patel, campaign manager for IL Senator Mike Simmons, noted, “Our campaign and many others had many first time voters, first time volunteers, first time donors, and represented communities that did not have candidates that reflected them. On election day, that did not translate into turnout in those communities.”
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, winner of the IL-9 congressional primary, committed to “work with communities on the issue of Palestine…and go travel to Palestine with Muslim and Palestinian community members in the coming months…to make sure that I am being held accountable and a proper partner for justice.”
Bushra Amiwala emphasized three imperative rules for any candidate to consider: “(1) the importance of how money translates to resources and how inaccessible that is for many, including a candidacy like mine (2) we see how important narrative is and how you have to reclaim your own messaging and is a teachable, coachable skill (3) coalition building and conversations and the importance of hearing voices from the community.”
Participants examined 2026 primary turnout data, including precinct-by-precinct results and a comparison of voter turnout between 2024 and 2026, along with Cook County demographics that shaped election outcomes and practical strategies to increase future participation. Structured “Voter Perspective” sessions followed, featuring voices both inside and outside the district. Some data links shared included a precinct map of 2026 IL 9th Congressional District Primary results and precinct maps of the 2026 IL Democratic Primary State Senate 6th district.
Ground rules focused on respect, issue-based discussion, and good intentions which guided a productive dialogue on the challenges of voter turnout and AIPAC spending. Registrants included representatives from a broad coalition of organizations including the Working Families Party (IL Wolf Pack), IfNotNow, CIOGC, local Indivisible groups, Glenbrook Muslim Civic Association, and multiple local Muslim organizations.
This debrief marked the first of several planned community sessions, with another check-in scheduled in the coming weeks after the complete post-election data is released, to track progress and refine strategies for November 2026, 2027, and 2028.
“Being together in the same room after such a hard-fought primary reminded us why we do this work,” said Ishaq Lat from Glenbrook Muslim Civic Association. “We left with clearer data, deeper understanding, renewed energy, and a roadmap for the conversations ahead.”
The Muslim Civic Coalition thanks every participant, speaker, and organizer who made the evening possible. If you would like to host a similar debrief in your community, or would like to partner to do voter education and outreach, reach out to us at info@muslimciviccoalition.org.