American Muslims Breaking Barriers is a comprehensive report of all Muslim-identifying candidates who ran for public office in 2020.
A record number of 181 Muslim candidates ran for office in 28 states and Washington D.C. in 2020. CAIR, Jetpac, and MPower Change also identified 16 notable American Muslim hires and appointees to the Biden-Harris administration.
Below is a summary of Muslim electoral results from the 2020 election cycle.
- 44% of American-Muslims who ran a campaign in 2020 won their election.
- A total of 23 Muslims ran for Congress in 14 states. 5 made it to the general election with 3 winning reelection. Incumbents Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Andre Carson were all re-elected by their constituents to serve their districts. First-time candidate, Mike Siegel, lost a close race to represent the 10th Congressional District in Texas.
- 18 Muslims won municipal seats.
- 47 Muslims ran for state legislatures in 22 states with 23 winning. At least 6 made history as the first-ever elected to a state office in their state.
- CAIR, Jetpac, and MPower Change identified 16 notable American-Muslim hires and appointees to the Biden-Harris administration.
- 19 ran for county positions in 8 states with 8 winning.
- 6 ran for judicial seats with 4 winning.
- Although American Muslims are running across the country, some states stood out: 33 ran in New Jersey; 27 ran in Minnesota; 23 in California; 20 in Michigan; and 9 in Massachusetts.
Jetpac is a representation-driven civic engagement coalition organization. Its mission is to make our government more representative of the American people.
MPower Change is the largest Muslim-led social and racial justice organization in the United States.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.