Rashida Tlaib, a 42-year-old Michigan Democrat, became the first Muslim woman elected to Congress on Tuesday.
Tlaib ran unopposed in Michigan’s 13th district House race, but fended off a last-minute write-in challenge from a woman she defeated in the August primary.
“The first thing I think about when somebody says you’re going to be the first Muslim is celebrate this moment,” Tlaib told CBS News.
“We changed the course of history at a time we thought it was impossible. And that if you just believe, believe in the possibility of someone like me.”
The attorney and former state legislator is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants.
She could be joined by 36-year-old Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a Muslim woman who is expected to also win her race on Tuesday night.