First Muslim Senator, Black Female Governor: US Midterms Make History

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The US midterm vote ushered in a wave of historic leadership firsts across the country on Tuesday, electoral milestones on a night that saw voters issue a sharp rejection of President Donald Trump's second term.

The first Muslim Senator, the first Black female governor, the first openly homosexual male senator and the first female Native American governor all won groundbreaking elections in the vote that racked up resounding wins for Democrats.

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First Muslim Senator

Egyptian-American Democrat Abdul El-Sayed won a US Senate seat in Michigan over former Republican lawmaker Mike Rogers, which would make him the first Muslim elected to the upper chamber of Congress.

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"Michigan, we did it!" El-Sayed said in a speech at his election headquarters in Detroit. "I am so proud and honored to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan."

The former medical administrator drew huge campaign crowds across Michigan with his promises to make healthcare free.

Black female governor

In the southern state of Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the race for governor, making her the first Black woman elected to the top office in any US state.

A former Atlanta mayor, Bottoms defeated billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson, a win that returns the governor's office to Democrats after more than two decades of Republican control.

First homosexual man in Senate

Democratic Representative Chris Pappas, meanwhile, will become the first openly homosexual man to serve in the US Senate after winning in New Hampshire.

The 46-year-old will replace retiring Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen after defeating New Hampshire political royalty Sunnunu by more than ten points. He has served in the US House of Representatives since 2019.

Two Native American women make history

In New Mexico, Democrat Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman elected governor, beating Republican Gregg Hull. A member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, she had served as the Secretary of the Interior under former president Joe Biden, the first Native American to serve as a US cabinet secretary.

Minnesota voters chose Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to replace outgoing Senator Tina Smith. She will become the first Native American woman to serve in the Senate. Flanagan is an enrolled member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe.

First Republican African-American governor

Republican Byron Donalds is set to become Florida's first African-American governor, defeating Democrat David Jolly, according to projections by CBS News.

Donalds' victory also marks a significant milestone nationally, as he is set to become the first African-American Republican elected governor in US history. Only three African American governors had previously been elected nationwide, all of them Democrats.

Donalds revealed that Trump was the second person to call him following his victory. He thanked the President for his support and for standing by him throughout the gubernatorial campaign.

Another Egyptian-American wins

The sweeping midterm rebuke of Trump also saw a number of state-level electoral firsts, including the first Latina governor in Texas with Gina Hinojosa's victory.

Looking ahead, if the current House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wins the speakership as expected in the new Congress, he would become the first Black speaker of the House in US history.

Egyptian-American Democrat Adam Hamawy won New Jersey's 12th Congressional District, defeating Republican Gregg Mele. AP projected Hamawy as the winner, making him the first Muslim to represent New Jersey in the US Congress.

Hamawy, a plastic surgeon, retired US Army combat doctor and humanitarian medical worker, will succeed Republican Bonnie Watson Coleman. He was born in Cairo to Egyptian parents, and moved to the US as an infant.

Bill Shiebler - chief strategy officer at the non-profit State Voices, a network of advocates for civic engagement and equity - told AFP the night was "a huge rebuke against hate and division."

"We're witnessing an electorate that increasingly sees itself in its leaders, and the leaders who come out of communities they now represent," Shiebler said.

"I think that's part of a multiracial democracy working as it's intended, not just a novelty. No one should be discriminated against because of who they are or who they love," he said on his website.

"This was a historic election where people decided to believe in themselves and really lean into the hope about the promise of this country, rebuking an effort to snuff out people's voices," Shiebler said.

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