US midterm results show increase of Muslim presence in politics

At least 82 Muslim Americans have won local, state legislative, statewide, judicial and federal elections in the United States midterm elections, beating the previous record of 71 Muslim electoral victories in 2020.

The numbers are based on an assessment by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organisation, and Jetpac Resource Center, a non-profit that focuses on increasing Muslim representation in US government and politics.

The record-breaking victories are “a testament to our community’s ongoing rise in American politics and the trust our neighbors have placed in us to represent them and fight for their interests,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement. 

“We are witnessing the next step in the American Muslim community’s political transformation from marginalized voices that were sidelined, or worse, to decision makers.”

CAIR and Jetpac have been following US electoral data for the last six years. This year, they tracked a total of 146 American Muslim candidates running for office, including 51 state legislative candidates across 23 states.

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Muslim Americans making history

With the elections, the Illinois General Assembly welcomed its first Muslim American members, 23-year-old Nabeela Syed and 33-year-old Abdelnasser Rashid.

Salman Bhojani and Suleman Lalani became the first Muslims to be elected into Texas Legislature.

In Georgia, four Muslim Americans were elected, including Palestinian American Ruwa Romman, who is the first Muslim woman to become a representative at the State House, and Bangladeshi American Nabilah Islam, who is the first Muslim woman and first South Asian woman to be elected into the state’s Senate.

Zaynab Mohamed, a 25-year-old Somali American was elected to Minnesota’s senate. She became the youngest woman elected to the largest state upper house, and was one of the first three Black women in the legislative body.

Also in Minnesota, the US’ first and only Muslim elected to a statewide position, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, was reelected.

The attorney general was joined by members of Congress Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Andre Carson (D-IN) in getting reelected. 

21 incumbent state legislators were reeleceted and joined by another 16 Muslim candidates who were elected, bringing the total number of Muslim state lawmakers in the US to 43.

The election results show “that the Muslim community is building solid infrastructure for sustained electoral success,” Jetpac Resource Center Executive Director Mohammed Missouri said in a statement.

“Policy decisions on education, housing, climate, and civil rights are shaped by state legislatures and it is critical that our voice is represented in the policymaking process.”

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