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

The 2026 midterm elections produced a record number of hijab-wearing Muslim women in elected office. Four won seats in state senates, while one won a seat in the US Congress. The result matters because these candidates succeeded during a period the article describes as marked by rabid anti-Muslim rhetoric, threats, and political backlash.

The four state-level winners named are Ruwa Romman in Georgia, Aber Kawas in New York, Nabeela Syed in Illinois, and Maryam Khan in Connecticut. The article identifies the fifth winner only as a hijab-wearing US congresswoman; it does not name her in the supplied text. All five are described as progressive Democrats.

Their victories show Muslim women gaining visible political power despite efforts to caricature, insult, or intimidate them. The article links the results to civic engagement and resistance to policies involving immigration enforcement and US support for Israel. It also presents the elections as part of a wider backlash against the Trump administration.

A hijab is a head covering that many Muslim women wear. Its meaning varies by person. Some wear it as an expression of faith, modesty, cultural belonging, or personal choice. It is not a single uniform symbol for every Muslim woman, but it is commonly associated with Islam.

The hijab is a visible marker because it is worn on the head and remains noticeable in public settings. Unlike private beliefs, clothing can be seen by voters, media, opponents, and online audiences. The article says the candidates’ appearances were caricatured and insulted by corporate media, Republicans, and online trolls.

That visibility can create both political risks and representation. These women faced anti-Muslim rhetoric and threats, yet won elected office. Their victories therefore matter beyond the number of seats. They show visibly Muslim women participating in public decision-making and taking political action despite hostility directed at their religious identity.

Ruwa Romman won election to the Georgia state senate. Aber Kawas won a seat in the New York state senate. Nabeela Syed won reelection or election to the Illinois state senate after serving as a state representative. Maryam Khan moved from Connecticut’s House of Representatives to its state senate.

The article identifies the fifth winner as a hijab-wearing US congresswoman but does not name her in the supplied excerpt. The question identifies that person as Ilhan Omar, whose office is the US House of Representatives, part of the US Congress. Thus, four candidates moved into state senate roles, while Omar won national legislative office.

These offices differ in geographic reach. State senators legislate for their states, while a member of Congress legislates at the federal level. The victories were especially notable because all five women were progressive Democrats and campaigned amid attacks involving Islam, immigration enforcement, and US policy toward Israel.

The article describes four hijab-wearing women winning state senate seats and one hijab-wearing woman winning a US congressional seat. Together, they formed a record number of hijab-wearing Muslim women elected to statewide or national offices. The result was presented as a remarkable wave of firsts in American politics.

The political first is not simply that one Muslim woman won. It is the simultaneous success of five visibly Muslim women across several states and the federal legislature. The article names Ruwa Romman, Aber Kawas, Nabeela Syed, and Maryam Khan among the state winners. It identifies the fifth only as a US congresswoman in the supplied excerpt.

The result mattered because it occurred amid anti-Muslim rhetoric, threats, and criticism of Muslim candidates’ appearances. These women did not merely enter public debate; they won authority to shape laws. Their success suggests that hostile rhetoric did not prevent Muslim women from organizing, voting, and seeking office.

The article describes a political climate filled with anti-Muslim rhetoric, threats, caricatures, and insults. The Muslim Public Affairs Council warned that far-right provocateurs might discourage Muslim Americans from voting. For candidates wearing the hijab, public visibility therefore brought both representation and exposure to hostility.

Aber Kawas’s campaign was shaped by her father’s arrest by ICE after the September 11 attacks. He was detained for nearly three years and deported to Jordan. Nabeela Syed made affordability and healthcare equity central issues and co-signed a ceasefire letter after the October 7, 2023 attacks. Romman and Kawas also criticized Israel, while Romman had sought a Palestinian speaking role at the Democratic convention.

These experiences helped connect personal history with public policy. The article links broad anger over ICE arrests and US support for Israel to Democratic gains. It also says Biden’s support for Israel’s assault in Gaza cost Democrats support among young voters. The candidates’ victories show that these debates energized participation as well as provoking fear.

US midterm elections are held halfway through a president’s four-year term. Voters choose members of the US Congress and, depending on the state’s election schedule, state legislators and other officials. The article’s examples involve state senate races in Georgia, New York, Illinois, and Connecticut, plus a race for the US Congress.

A state senator serves in a state legislature. That lawmaker debates and votes on policies applying within the state, such as education, healthcare, and justice. A member of the US Congress serves in the federal legislature. Congress handles national laws and includes the House of Representatives and the Senate. The article calls one winner a US congresswoman but does not provide her name in the supplied excerpt.

The distinction explains why the five victories had different levels of reach. Romman, Kawas, Syed, and Khan won state senate offices. The fifth winner entered national office. Together, these results created representation at both state and federal levels, while showing Muslim women gaining influence across the political system.

After the September 11 attacks, the article describes an aggressive crackdown on Muslims in New York City and across the country. It included FBI raids, disappearances, and mass surveillance at mosques and other institutions. These actions made government power part of many Muslim families’ personal histories and deepened concerns about belonging and civil rights.

Aber Kawas’s father was arrested by ICE, detained for nearly three years, and deported to Jordan. As a child, Kawas watched her mother speak to him through detention-center glass. That experience helped shape Kawas’s belief that collective action and civic engagement could offer a path toward reconciliation. Her story connects immigration enforcement directly to later political participation.

The article presents representation as a response to exclusion. Muslim women who faced hostility or inherited memories of state surveillance entered legislatures and national office. Their campaigns brought issues such as immigration, healthcare, equity, and Gaza into electoral politics. The victories suggest that past repression did not end participation; it helped motivate organized efforts to gain political power.