--- title: Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib Become First Muslim Women in Congress description: Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have become the first two Muslim women elected to Congress in the 2018 midterm elections canonical: https://time.com/5445303/ilhan-omar-rashida-tlaib-midterm/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-07T02:56:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:07.088Z article:section: Politics og:title: Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib Just Became the First Muslim Women Elected to Congress og:description: They have become the first two Muslim women elected to Congress in the 2018 midterm elections og:url: https://time.com/5445303/ilhan-omar-rashida-tlaib-midterm/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaff4e4ce51eb224b/69893be5929fad5fc5bf1c16/omar-tlaib-candidates-making-history.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: Omar Tlaib Candidates Making History og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib Just Became the First Muslim Women Elected to Congress twitter:description: They have become the first two Muslim women elected to Congress in the 2018 midterm elections twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaff4e4ce51eb224b/69893be5929fad5fc5bf1c16/omar-tlaib-candidates-making-history.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib Just Became the First Muslim Women Elected to Congress > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=be3a83ab-a0eb-4837-a559-29c98886c276&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=be3a83ab-a0eb-4837-a559-29c98886c276&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=be3a83ab-a0eb-4837-a559-29c98886c276&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: FIRSTS Ilhan Omar [Watch (HLS stream): FIRSTS Ilhan Omar](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8i3qofna.m3u8) (2:17)  _Published 2017-09-01. Ilhan Omar is the FIRST Somali-American Muslim person to become a legislator._ by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Nov 7, 2018 2:56 AM UTC  Ilhan Omar, a candidate for State Representative for District 60B in Minnesota, gives an acceptance speech on election night, November 8, 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Omar, a refugee from Somalia, is the first Somali-American Muslim woman to hold public office; Rashida Tlaib shares a moment with her supporters on the campaign trail. Ilhan Omar, a candidate for State Representative for District 60B in Minnesota, gives an acceptance speech on election night, November 8, 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Omar, a refugee from Somalia, is the first Somali-American Muslim woman to hold public office; Rashida Tlaib shares a moment with her supporters on the campaign trail. Omar: Stephen Maturen—AFP/Getty Images; Tlaib: Erik Paul Howard by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Nov 7, 2018 2:56 AM UTC Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have become the [first Muslim women](http://time.com/5323592/2018-elections-women-history-records/) elected to Congress after both Democrats won their congressional midterm 2018 races. Omar, the first Somali-American Muslim to ever become a lawmaker when elected to the Minnesota’s House of Representatives in 2016, is now one of the first two Muslim women elected to the U.S. Congress. Omar replaces Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, after winning the Democratic primary for his seat in August. Omar, whose platform included support for Medicare for All, criminal justice reform and the increase of minimum wage, won the seat over Republican Jennifer Zielinski. Along with being one of the first Muslim women in Congress, Omar is the first Somali-American elected to the post. Omar made history in 2016 when she was elected the first Somali-American legislator in the U.S., for which she was featured in [Firsts](http://time.com/collection/firsts/), TIME’s multimedia project on trailblazing women have broken glass ceilings in their respective fields. After moving to the U.S. at the of 12 as a Somali refugee, Omar told TIME she grew a love for politics that was inspired by her grandfather, who loved the idea of democratic governments. Following her win in 2016, Omar said her political involvement had become more than “about me or the win or the loss. It became about the changing the narrative” surrounding immigrants and women of color who run for office. “Regardless of whether we win or lose, this gets to shift the narrative of what is possible,” she said. Tlaib, a Democrat from Detroit who is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, ran unopposed in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District to become one of the first Muslim women in Congress as well. Like Omar, Tlaib championed progressive policies, including a Medicare for All, a $15 minimum wage and immigration reform. Omar and Tlaib join Congress in a year that saw a [record number of women](http://time.com/5323592/2018-elections-women-history-records/) running for office and smashing records — Stacey Abrams sought to become the first black governor in the U.S. while Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest woman elected to Congress. ## Transcript People will look at you and they'll try and define you. Whether you're a woman, whether you're young. They'll try and cabin off what you are able to do. But people can only do that if you let them. And so, I always viewed my job as defining myself. If we are in a meeting, we're there for a reason. Not to just sit there and absorb. If you are only there not speaking, you kind of create the impression that you're not prepared to be there. You need to participate and you need to know what you're talking about. You can ask a man to do a job that he's never been qualified to do and he will raise his hand and say, absolutely I will do that job. Women always say I'm not sure if I'm ready yet. I need more experience. I don't necessarily know that there is anything wrong with being more cautious and careful. I mean, why have we come to decide that being brash and overly aggressive should be the way we are? But, we should also know that we're not going to feel any wiser or any more ready. In ten years than we did ten years ago. So we might as well just leap. There is a lot of perception of my gosh, this is really hard because of the gender. What are going to do about that, just not do it? If you want to do something, you just do it, and then hope that people catch up to you. Girls that are going to play in the little league, anything could happen. You could be up by ten runs and you could lose the game. So, stay focused. Make sure you play as a team. And, hopefully, you hit a home run, cuz no girl has ever hit a home run. And I'll be cheering for you. You'll never make everyone happy. So you just have to be exactly who it is that you are and at least know that you've been true to yourself. It's about attitude, aptitude and opportunity. Who knew I would be here? But it all started with folks that thought I had a good attitude. That put me in places that challenged me and then provided me with opportunities because I met and exceeded the standard. You often don't realize, people want you to succeed. And they often have very good solutions both practical and in terms of thinking of opportunities for you. And the other thing is, I think it's not too bad To have pure intentions, intensity doing, one thing or the other more frequency in every successful woman's life has his hips and flows. Know your power, know your power, your intellect, have your values in your commitment, the courage you have and don't let anybody trivialize. How you have spent your years. All of them have contributed to making a very unique and special person. Just take joy, don't let anyone discourage you from that thing that you love the most. It's more about making life Them making a living, that's what matters. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5445303/ilhan-omar-rashida-tlaib-midterm/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5445303/ilhan-omar-rashida-tlaib-midterm/"},"headline":"Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib Just Became the First Muslim Women Elected to Congress","datePublished":"2018-11-07T02:56:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:53:07.088Z","description":"They have become the first two Muslim women elected to Congress in the 2018 midterm elections","url":"https://time.com/5445303/ilhan-omar-rashida-tlaib-midterm/","keywords":["2018 Elections","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaff4e4ce51eb224b/69893be5929fad5fc5bf1c16/omar-tlaib-candidates-making-history.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaff4e4ce51eb224b/69893be5929fad5fc5bf1c16/omar-tlaib-candidates-making-history.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Omar Tlaib Candidates Making History","caption":"Ilhan Omar, a candidate for State Representative for District 60B in Minnesota, gives an acceptance speech on election night, November 8, 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Omar, a refugee from Somalia, is the first Somali-American Muslim woman to hold publ","creditText":"Omar: Stephen Maturen—AFP/Getty Images; Tlaib: Erik Paul Howard","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2018-elections/","name":"2018 Elections"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5445303/ilhan-omar-rashida-tlaib-midterm/","name":"Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib Just Became the First Muslim Women Elected to Congress"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"FIRSTS Ilhan Omar","description":"Ilhan Omar is the FIRST Somali-American Muslim person to become a legislator.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/8i3qofna/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-09-01T17:03:42.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8i3qofna.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5445303/ilhan-omar-rashida-tlaib-midterm/","duration":"PT2M17S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5445303/ilhan-omar-rashida-tlaib-midterm/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```