A record 255 Muslims now serve in elected office at nearly every level of government in the U.S., according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
CAIR said the new numbers represent a remarkable indicator of how Muslims have expanded their political engagement and presence in communities across America.
“This record-breaking number represents far more than a statistic. It reflects an American Muslim community that is increasingly engaged, organized and committed to serving our nation,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.
“From Congress and state legislatures to city councils, school boards and local governments, Muslim Americans are stepping forward to serve their neighbors and strengthen our democracy. At a time of heightened anti-Muslim rhetoric, these public servants send a powerful message that American Muslims will continue to participate freely and fearlessly in the civic life of our nation.”
The Islamic advocacy group’s 2026 directory shows the largest share of Muslim elected leadership is in local government. The 98 Muslim council members account for 38.4% of all Islamic elected officials.
The directory includes Muslim Americans serving as members of Congress, state senators, state representatives, assembly members, judges, mayors, city and county council members, commissioners, school board members and clerks.
The directory relies on research, publicly available information, CAIR chapters, community submissions and other sources.
It provides an updated national snapshot ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, where high-profile Muslim candidates are running for Congress.
This includes Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. California Democrat Aisha Wahab won a special election to serve out the remainder of the term of disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell and is running to take the seat permanently in November.
Finally, Arizona Republican Zuhdi Jasser is running in the state’s 4th District challenging Democrat Rep. Greg Stanton.
At the state level, Muslim lawmakers comprise 18% of elected officials in the directory, CAIR said. A combined 46 Muslim officials serve as state representatives or state senators, representing the 18% of all Muslim officials identified. This includes 32 state representatives (12.5%) and 14 state senators (5.5%).
In local government, CAIR identifies 98 Islamic council members, accounting for 38.4% of all Muslim elected officials included in the directory.
A breakdown of those Muslim elected officials shows that a quarter serve in education-related positions.
According to CAIR, this makes education the second-largest category of Muslim elected public service.
The directory names 15 elected officials in other posts such as law enforcement, municipal and transportation.
In all, nearly two-thirds of identified elected Muslim officials serve in local councils or education, and combined, the 98 council members and 63 education officials account for 161 of the 255 officials — 63.1% of the entire directory.
Additionally, the directory documents 11 Islamic mayors, representing 4.3% of all Muslim elected officials, and identifies 18 Muslim judges.
At the federal level, four Muslim members of Congress serve in the House of Representatives, representing 1.6% of the directory’s total. These Democratic lawmakers are Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Andre Carson of Indiana and Lateefah Simon of California.
Of the 255 elected Muslim officials identified nationwide, 110 are women (43.1%) and 145 are men (56.9%).
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