Why nearly 100 Muslims won national, local races in the US midterm elections

At least 97 Muslim Americans have won their races in this week's midterm elections, encompassing the federal, state, and local levels, according to the Council on American Islamic Relations (Cair).

It's hard to imagine that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's landslide win last year didn't have an impact on his fellow Muslims who hadn't entertained the possibilities.

More than a dozen other candidates are still awaiting the full ballot count - depending on individual county rules and the way mail-in votes are handled - but they are ahead of their opponents as of Friday morning.

They come from a pool of 168 Muslim-American candidates who made it past the primary stage of their races, which is when they compete within their own party to earn the nomination.