Suleman Lalani

Suleman Lalani (born July 18, 1967)^[1] is an American politician and medical doctor who represents district 76 of the Texas House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, Lalani is one of the first Muslims and South Asian lawmakers in the Texas legislature.

Suleman Lalani
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 76th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 10, 2023
Preceded by	Claudia Ordaz (redistricted)
Personal details
Born	(1967-07-18) July 18, 1967 (age 58) Pakistan
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Zakia
Education	Sindh Medical College

Background

Lalani is a native of Pakistan and graduated from Sindh Medical College, then immigrated to the United States in the 1990s and completing his fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. He has practiced medicine for nearly two decades, specializing in geriatrics.^[2] He is quadruple board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in geriatric medicine, hospice and palliative medicine, and internal medicine.^[3]

Texas House of Representatives

In 2020, Lalani ran for the Texas House of Representatives in the 26th district. He placed first in the Democratic primary election with 31.7% of the vote, but lost to L. Sarah DeMarchant in the subsequent runoff election with 47.7% of the vote.^[4]

In 2022, Lalani ran for the redrawn 76th district, a new district in Fort Bend County including Sugar Land. He placed first in the Democratic primary election with 36.7% of the vote and defeated Vanesia Johnson with 63% of the vote in a runoff election.^[5] He defeated Republican candidate Dan Mathews with 57.3% of the vote. Lalani and fellow Democrat Salman Bhojani became the first Muslim and South Asian lawmakers to serve in the Texas House of Representatives upon their election.^[2]

In 2024, Lalani ran for re-election. He defeated Johnson in a rematch in the Democratic primary and Republican Lea Simmons in the general election.^[6]

Tenure

In 2025, Lalani proposed legislation to create an awareness campaign for domestic and sexual violence against men, including putting up visible signage in men’s restrooms, and to bar sex offenders from owning firearms.^[7]