US midterm elections 2026: Record number of hijabis elected to statewide and national offices

Tuesday's midterm elections saw a remarkable wave of firsts that may have been unthinkable if US President Donald Trump had not spurred such backlash across the country. Among them were victories for four state senators-elect and one US congresswoman who all wear the hijab - a record for the country, and certainly a stunning outcome given the rabid anti-Islam rhetoric and threats that have taken hold since the Trump administration swept to power in January 2025. These are women whose appearance has been caricatured and insulted by corporate media, Republicans, and trolls online, thus putting a direct target on their backs. Last week, the Muslim Public Affairs Council (Mpac) expressed concern about the escalation of far-right, anti-Muslim provocateurs in the US, because their actions often result in calls for increased law enforcement presence, and could therefore have ended up dissuading Muslim Americans from voting at all. But while the turnout demographics are still being assessed, several visibly Muslim, young women have now risen to elected office to take matters into their own hands. Read more: Record number of hijabis elected to statewide and national offices