- Published
"JD [Vance], habibi (my love)".
It was an unlikely greeting to hear at a Democratic Party victory rally after the US midterm elections.
asserted
It → publish → elections
Abdul El-Sayed, 42, born to Egyptian immigrant parents, playfully addressed Vice-President JD Vance, who had campaigned against him but will now swear him into office in January as Michigan's new Senator.
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who → bear → Senator
The US-born Democrat spent much of his campaign fending off attacks from conservative media and President Donald Trump, who accused him of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.
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who → bear → Brotherhood
El-Sayed rejected the allegations.
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Sayed → reject → allegations
"My name is Abdul Rahman Mohammed El-Sayed," he said in an Egyptian Arabic accent to the cheering crowd at his victory rally.
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he → say → rally
He is set to become the first Muslim senator.
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He → set → ?
El-Sayed ran a social media-first campaign, with TikTok edits showing him speaking directly to young voters, tapping into Gen Z humour, and sporting friendship bracelets.
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him → run → bracelets
The former public health administrator's campaign centred on a progressive agenda, including Medicare for All, affordable housing and curbing corporate influence in politics.
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campaign → centre → politics
From an Ethiopian-born Gen Z congresswoman to candidates with Nigerian heritage, several other politicians with African roots won in this year's midterms.
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politicians → bear → midterms
The elections, held halfway through a president's four-year term, decide who represents Americans in Congress, as well as in thousands of state and local offices.
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who → hold → offices
At 29, Melat Kiros became the first Gen Z woman elected to the US Congress.
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Kiros → become → Congress
Born in Ethiopia, she arrived in the US as a baby and grew up in Denver.
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she → bear → Denver
She had never held elected office before defeating a 15-term incumbent in Colorado's 1st District in the Democrat primary before winning a landslide in Tuesday's election.
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She → hold → election
Kiros, like El-Sayed, campaigned on issues that have become central to young progressive voters: the cost of living, universal childcare and Medicare for All.
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that → campaign → All
Endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, she has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and ending US military aid to Israel.
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she → endorse → Israel
Her outspoken criticism of Israel's war in Gaza has attracted controversy.
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criticism → attract → controversy
Kiros has said her criticism is directed at the Israeli state, not Jewish people.
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criticism → say → state
She was fired from a top New York law firm in 2023 after she refused to take down an open letter to dozens of law firms who had urged law school deans to crack down on antisemitism on campuses as students engaged in pro-Palestinian protests.
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students → fire → protests
Kiros condemned antisemitism, but warned the law firms, including the one she worked for, against conflating "such bigotry with the geo-political question of Israel's legitimacy".
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she → condemn → legitimacy
She said she started thinking more seriously about politics in general after being fired.
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she → say → politics
Adrian Boafo, meanwhile, a second-generation Ghanaian-American, will represent Maryland's 5th Congressional District after succeeding veteran Congressman Steny Hoyer, who retired after a political career spanning more than four decades.
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who → represent → decades
The 32-year-old was born in Virginia and raised in Prince George's County, Maryland.
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old → bear → County
His parents immigrated to the US from Ghana.
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parents → immigrate → Ghana
Boafo's route to Congress began in local politics.
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route → begin → politics
He served on the Bowie City Council before becoming a Maryland state delegate in 2023.
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He → serve → 2023
He also worked for Hoyer before eventually winning the race to replace him.
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He → work → him
His campaign focused on the cost of living, childcare and protecting federal workers, a major issue in a district close to Washington DC and home to thousands of government employees.
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campaign → focus → employees
In his victory statement, Boafo said representing his constituents had "never felt more urgent", pointing to federal job cuts, rising costs and the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
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representing → say → cuts
Among those returning to Congress is Somali-born Ilhan Omar, 44, who won a fifth term despite an ongoing federal investigation.
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who → return → investigation
Federal agents searched her Washington home in October as part of an investigation into her immigration paperwork.
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agents → search → paperwork
Omar has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.
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Omar → deny → crime
First elected to Congress in 2018, Omar became the first Somali-American and one of the first Muslim women to serve in the chamber.
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Omar → elect → chamber
She has also been a frequent target of President Trump, who has repeatedly criticised her and other Somali immigrants.
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who → criticise → her
Trump has previously used derogatory language to describe some African countries, including Somalia.
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Trump → use → Somalia
In October, his Yemeni-born adviser Amer Ghalib said the president would refrain from using such language.
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president → bear → language
Others made their breakthroughs in state and local politics.
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Others → make → politics
Junior Ezeonu was born in Nigeria and moved to the US as a young child.
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Ezeonu → bear → child
By 27, he had already become Grand Prairie's youngest city council member before winning a seat in the Texas State House.
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he → become → House
Then there is Carol Kazeem, 34, a Pennsylvania state legislator of Nigerian heritage who has retained her seat at District 159.
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who → be → District
At least four candidates with Nigerian heritage won in the 3 November midterms.
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candidates → win → midterms
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
