First Muslim Congressman comes from Minnesota

Keith Ellison is leading with 55% of the vote in Minnesota's Fifth District. He is a Muslim. His Republican challenger is polling only 22% of the vote, only decimal points ahead of the Independence Party candidate.

The 5th is the most densely populated center of Minneapolis:

Ellison's victory statement:

Tonight, we made history. Because of you, we won a key election —but we did much more than that. We showed that a candidate can run a 100% positive campaign and prevail, even against tough opposition.

We showed that we are stronger when we build bridges between communities rather than trying to divide and conquer. We showed that people who believe everyone counts, and that peace should be the guiding principle of our nation, make up the majority of the 5th Congressional District.

And that is something of which we should be very proud...We are working for an America where everybody counts, where everybody matters, and where peace is our guiding principle. We'll do it together."

A footnote: The Democrats in Minnesota are officially known as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party.