Meet the Muslim Members of Congress in 2026: Who Won and What They Stand For

How Many Muslim Members of Congress Were Elected in 2026?

Outlets report the total differently. Anadolu Agency reported that at least seven Muslims won seats in Congress, including Senate-winner Abdul El-Sayed. WION counted eight, one in the Senate and seven in the House. The gap comes from California Rep. Aisha Wahab’s race, which was still being counted when the first tallies came out.

Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan: First Muslim U.S. Senator

El-Sayed is a 42-year-old physician and former public health official who won the seat vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters. His religion became a target of attacks by Republicans and President Donald Trump during the campaign. He is of Egyptian descent. He criticized unconditional U.S. arms transfers to Israel during the race. He takes office in January 2027. TODAY’S PAPER | November 04, 2026 | EPAPER +4

As of Nov. 12, 11:01 p.m. CET, AP’s count shows El-Sayed as the winner over Republican Mike Rogers, 52.5% to 45.5%, and AP has called the race.

New Muslim Members of the House

Adam Hamawy, New Jersey (12th District). The Democrat defeated Republican Gregg Mele and became the first Muslim to represent New Jersey in Congress. Al-Quds described him as a Gaza doctor. uaalquds

Darializa Avila Chevalier, New York. She won her House seat after defeating longtime incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the June primary. Her campaign focused on community organizing and Palestinian rights. tribunedailytimes

Returning Muslim Lawmakers

Ilhan Omar, Minnesota. Omar came to the United States at 12 and became the first Somali-American in Congress when she took office in 2019. She won a fifth term.

Rashida Tlaib, Michigan. Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American in Congress, also won a fifth term. She and Omar were the first Muslim women elected to Congress.

André Carson, Indiana. Carson has served since 2008 and is the longest-serving Muslim member of the House.

Lateefah Simon, California. A civil rights advocate, Simon joined Congress in 2025 and has pushed against offensive U.S. arms deliveries.

Aisha Wahab, California (14th District). Wahab, who is Afghan-American, first entered Congress by winning an August 2026 special election. As of Nov. 11, 12:00 a.m. CET, AP’s count shows her winning a full term with 57.6% to fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez’s 42.4%, and AP has called the race. Those numbers may have changed since.

Why Muslim Representation in Congress Matters

Keith Ellison became the first Muslim in Congress in 2007, followed by Carson in 2008 and Omar and Tlaib in 2019. The gains reach well beyond Washington. CAIR tracked 168 American Muslim candidates who advanced past their primaries this cycle and projects that more than 100 will have won or been reelected once counting wraps up.

For many in the community, the milestone is about more than any single seat. As California commentator Tahra Goraya wrote for CalMatters, representation matters because institutions are stronger when people from every background have a seat at the table.

When the new Congress is sworn in this January, it will include more Muslim voices than ever, and how they use that platform will be watched closely in the years ahead.

Sources: Anadolu Agency, TRT World, WION, Al-Quds, CAIR, CalMatters; election results from The Associated Press.