Abdur Sikder

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Abdur Sikder

Democratic Party

Candidate, Lieutenant Governor of California

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 5, 2024

Next election

June 2, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

University of Waikato, 1999

Ph.D

University of Sydney, 2007

Graduate

Lincoln University, 2019

Personal

Religion

Muslim

Profession

Adjunct faculty

Contact

Campaign website

Personal website

Personal LinkedIn

Abdur Sikder (Democratic Party) is running for election for Lieutenant Governor of California. He declared candidacy for the primary scheduled on June 2, 2026.^[source]

Sikder completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Abdur Sikder earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Waikato in 1999, a Ph.D. from the University of Sydney in 2007, and a graduate degree from Lincoln University - California in 2019. Abdur Sikder's professional experience includes working as adjunct faculty and as a computer software engineer. He has been affiliated with IEEE.

Elections

2026

See also: California lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Nonpartisan primary

Nonpartisan primary election for Lieutenant Governor of California

The following candidates are running in the primary for Lieutenant Governor of California on June 2, 2026.

		Candidate
		Josh Fryday (D)
		Janelle Kellman (D)
		Jeyson Lopez (D)
		Fiona Ma (D)
		Oliver Ma (D)
		Tim Myers (D)
		Abdur Sikder (D)
		Michael Tubbs (D)
		David Fennell (R)
		Ebie Lynch (R)
		Sean Collinson (No party preference)

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Toni Atkins (D)
• Steven Bradford (D)
• Mike Schaefer (D)
• Brian Jones (R)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2024

See also: California's 12th Congressional District election, 2024

California's 12th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 top-two primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 12

Lateefah Simon defeated Jennifer Tran in the general election for U.S. House California District 12 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lateefah Simon (D)	65.4	185,176
		Jennifer Tran (D)	34.6	97,849

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 283,025
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 12

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 12 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lateefah Simon (D)	55.9	86,031
✔		Jennifer Tran (D)	14.9	22,999
		Tony Daysog (D)	11.2	17,222
	Submit photo	Stephen Slauson (R)	6.3	9,710
		Glenn Kaplan (D)	4.4	6,799
		Eric Wilson (D)	2.8	4,252
		Abdur Sikder (D)	1.9	2,857
	Submit photo	Ned Nuerge (R)	1.6	2,535
		Andre Todd (D)	1.1	1,632

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 154,037
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jason Woody (D)
• Denard Ingram (D)
• Tim Sanchez (D)
• John Marks (D)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Sikder in this election.

2018

See also: Municipal elections in Alameda County, California (2018)

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Alameda County Board of Education Trustee Area 1

Incumbent Joaquin Rivera won election outright against Abdur Sikder in the primary for Alameda County Board of Education Trustee Area 1 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Joaquin Rivera (Nonpartisan)	88.6	45,164
		Abdur Sikder (Nonpartisan)	11.4	5,835

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 50,999
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Berkeley Unified School District elections (2016)

Two of the five seats on the Berkeley Unified School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. Incumbents Judith Appel and Beatriz Leyva-Cutler defeated challenger Abdur Sikder in their bids for re-election.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Alameda County Board of Education Trustee Area 1

Incumbent Joaquin Rivera won election outright against Abdur Sikder in the primary for Alameda County Board of Education Trustee Area 1 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Joaquin Rivera (Nonpartisan)	88.6	45,164
		Abdur Sikder (Nonpartisan)	11.4	5,835

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 50,999
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Funding

See also: Campaign finance in the Berkeley Unified School District election

Sikder reported no contributions or expenditures to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters in the election.

Endorsements

Sikder was endorsed by the community organization Evolve.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Abdur Sikder completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sikder's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in a small village in Bangladesh, where the values of education, resilience, and service were central to my upbringing. My father, a devoted teacher, dedicated his life to helping students learn and grow, often offering lessons for free to support the community. My mother instilled in me patience, determination, and the importance of perseverance—qualities that guided me through every challenge. Their combined influence gave me a deep appreciation for learning and a strong sense of purpose. Following their example, I pursued education with dedication and persistence. My academic journey took me from Bangladesh to Singapore, then to New Zealand at the University of Waikato, and later to Australia, where I completed my Ph.D. in Computer Science through hard work, sacrifice, and self-funding. During my doctoral studies, I also spent time at UC San Diego, gaining global academic perspective and a broader understanding of the transformative power of education. I earned my Master of Business Administration Degree from Lincoln University California. Today, I am honored to serve in higher education in the United States, including at San Francisco State University and San Francisco Bay University. Teaching allows me to mentor students, guide the next generation, and help individuals achieve their goals. From a small village in Bangladesh to universities around the world, my journey reflects resilience, dedication, and a lifelong commitment to education.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• zero college tuition for all
• zero people without healthcare coverage in California
• zero unsheltered people in California

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education, healthcare, housing and environment

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Sikder submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on March 14, 2026.

Show past responsesHide past responses

December 13 submission

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Free college level education for all
• Free healthcare for all
• Housing for all

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Human rights and equity for all

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Sikder submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on December 13, 2025.

2024

Abdur Sikder completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sikder's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Dr. Abdur R. Sikder is a Faculty in the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Information System at San Francisco State University. He has his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree from The University of Waikato, New Zealand. He also has a master’s degree in computer science and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from The University of Sydney, Australia. He studied at UC San Diego as an EAP graduate student for one academic year. Dr. Sikder has earned his MBA degree (Finance and Banking) at Lincoln University, Oakland, CA.

He has been providing Software and Tax consultation services in the Bay area for the last ten years. He worked as a postdoctoral scholar at ICSI, UC Berkeley, Penn State University and Michigan Tech University. He worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the department of Computer science at Marquette University, Brac University and Dhaka University. He is a member of IEEE since 2001. He was a Member of the Board of Directors of Afihealth Inc., Berkeley, CA. He was the secretary of Waikato Ethnic Council, Hamilton, New Zealand and Secretary of Campbelltown Bangla School, Sydney, Australia. He served as a Notary Public of the State of California for 12 years. He is a life member of AABEA.org. He was a Judge for SF Hackathon, 2020, 2021, 2022 and a Judge for Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) Competition, SF, 2022.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Strong advocate for free education, healthcare for all and peace
• Clean Energy and Climate justice
• End gun violence

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education, climate and gun violence

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Barbara Lee and Bernie Sanders

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Truthful, honest and accountable.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Honest

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Ready to listen, reliable and trustworthy.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Free education for all.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Liberation war in Bangladesh. I was in Barishal, Bangladesh.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Analyst Programmer, Three years.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Justice.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Work closely with the local people.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Keep all americans together.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Bit short.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

4 years could be better.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Joe Biden

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

Very significant.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

Very carefully.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

workin gon it now.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Sikder submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on October 21, 2023.

Show past responsesHide past responses

October 13 submission

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Abdur Sikder, a faculty at San Francisco State University. Currently, I teach in Computer Science, Information Systems department. I am running for the U.S. House California District 12 position because I do believe that U.S. House requires a strong voice to fight for their rights of the people of this district, I firmly believe that I do have that voice and energy to exactly do that.

I was a candidate for the Berkeley School Board Director in 2018. I have children in the California Public School System. I have been living in California with my family for 17 years. I am an entrepreneur, founded several organizations and was a Member of the Board of Directors of PEDI-ED Inc. (Pediatric educational charity).

I do have a Ph.D., and a master’s in computer science from the University of Sydney (University of California San Diego as a EAP graduate student) and B.S. in Computer Science from University of Waikato, New Zealand and MBA in Finance from Lincoln University, California. I worked as an Analyst Programmer, a Scientist and a Lecturer for various organization in Bangladesh, New Zealand, Australia, and United States. I am a member of IEEE and a life member of AABEA.org.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Universal healthcare
• Free Higher Education for all
• Fair immigration policy

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare for all.

Free higher education.

Fair immigration policy.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Senator Bernie Sanders

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity and ability to understand the people.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Focused.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Represent constituents firmly.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Change the world than today.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

1971 Liberation war of Bangladesh. 4 years.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Analyst Programmer, 4 years

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Getting justice

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Firm representative of the constituents.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Unite the american people

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Not really.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Okay.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Barbara Lee

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Yes.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes to some extend.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

High.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

For the people.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

working on it.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Sikder submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on October 13, 2023.

Campaign finance summary

---

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Abdur Sikder campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024	U.S. House California District 12	Lost primary	$21,938	$21,946
Grand total			$21,938	$21,946
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

See also

2026 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Lieutenant Governor of California

Website

Personal

Website

LinkedIn

Footnotes

2026 state executive official elections

Governor

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Florida • Georgia • Guam • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • Northern Mariana Islands • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • U.S. Virgin Islands • Vermont • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Lieutenant Governor

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Florida • Georgia • Guam • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Nebraska • Nevada • New Mexico • New York • Northern Mariana Islands • Ohio • Oklahoma • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • U.S. Virgin Islands • Vermont • Wisconsin

Attorney General

Alabama • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Guam • Idaho • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Nebraska • Nevada • New Mexico • New York • North Dakota • Northern Mariana Islands • Ohio • Oklahoma • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • Vermont • Wisconsin

Secretary of State

Alabama • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Georgia • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Nebraska • Nevada • New Mexico • North Dakota • Ohio • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Vermont • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Treasurer

Alabama • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Massachusetts • Nebraska • Nevada • New Mexico • Ohio • Oklahoma • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Vermont • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Auditor

Alabama • Arkansas • Delaware • Iowa • Massachusetts • Minnesota • Missouri • Nebraska • New Mexico • Ohio • Oklahoma • South Dakota • Vermont • Wyoming

Comptroller

California • Connecticut • Idaho • Illinois • Maryland • Nevada • New York • South Carolina • Texas

Education officials

Alabama (board of education) • Arizona (superintendent) • California (superintendent) • Colorado (board of education) • Colorado (board of regent) • District of Columbia (board of education) • Georgia (superintendent) • Guam (education board) • Idaho (superintendent) • Kansas (board of education) • Louisiana (board of education) • Michigan (board of education) • Michigan (board of regent) • Michigan (board of trustees) • Michigan (board of governors) • Nebraska (board of education) • Nebraska (board of regents) • Nevada (board of regents) • New Mexico (board of education) • North Dakota (superintendent) • Northern Mariana Islands (board of education) • Ohio (board of education) • Oklahoma (superintendent) • South Carolina (superintendent) • Texas (board of education) • U.S. Virgin Islands (board of education) • Utah (board of education) • Wyoming (superintendent)

Commissioners

Alabama (agriculture) • Alabama (public service) • Arizona (corporation) • Arizona (mine inspector) • Arkansas (public lands) • California (board of equalization) • California (insurance) • Florida (agriculture) • Georgia (agriculture) • Georgia (labor) • Georgia (insurance) • Georgia (public service) • Guam (utilities) • Hawaii (Hawaiian affairs) • Iowa (agriculture) • Kansas (insurance) • Louisiana (public service) • Massachusetts (governor's council) • Montana (public service) • Nebraska (public service) • New Hampshire (executive council) • New Mexico (public lands) • North Dakota (agriculture) • North Dakota (public service) • North Dakota (tax) • Oklahoma (corporation) • Oklahoma (insurance) • Oklahoma (labor) • Oregon (labor) • South Carolina (agriculture) • South Dakota (public lands) • South Dakota (public utilities) • Texas (agriculture) • Texas (public lands) • Texas (railroad) • U.S. Virgin Islands (board of elections)