A wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric has emerged in American politics ahead of midterm elections, according to researchers tracking such speech, as Muslim candidates achieve electoral success at historic levels.
Within hours of Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic US Senate primary, Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville characterized El-Sayed as a “terrorist” and “radical Islamist.” The Center for the Study of Organized Hate documented a nearly 1,900% increase in Islamophobic social media posts naming El-Sayed in the week following his primary win. The attacks have escalated to include former President Donald Trump, who called El-Sayed a “jihadist” from the Oval Office, and Vice-President JD Vance, who described him as “very, very evil” at a campaign rally. Other Republican officials, including Senator Ted Cruz and Representatives Nancy Mace and Randy Fine, have made sweeping statements characterizing Muslim elected officials as threats to national security and American society. Republican leadership has remained largely silent on the rhetoric.
Researchers at the non-partisan Institute for Social Policy and Understanding characterize the current environment as the most concentrated wave of Islamophobic rhetoric in US electoral politics since the 9/11 attacks. Survey data from Pew Research Center indicates that 51% of US adults now say Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence, up from 25% six months after 2001. Among Republican voters, that figure stands at 76%, compared to 29% among Democrats. The ISPU’s Islamophobia Index rose from 25 in 2022 to 33 among the general public in 2025.
Meanwhile, Muslim candidates are winning elected office in unprecedented numbers. Four Muslims serve in US Congress with a fifth likely on the way, compared with zero in 2001. Ghazala Hashmi became Virginia’s first Muslim woman elected to statewide office as lieutenant governor, and Zohran Mamdani was inaugurated as New York’s first Muslim mayor in January 2025. Researchers have also documented coordinated anti-Sharia campaigns among elected officials, including a “Sharia Free America Caucus” that has grown to 65 members and generated over 1,100 social media posts and eight bills across 13 months.
Some observers note the attacks extend beyond individual candidates into policy disputes. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has launched campaigns against what he describes as Islamic law imposition, including reviewing state grants to airports with Muslim prayer facilities. Researchers caution, however, against characterizing all criticism of Muslim candidates as bigotry, citing instances where candidates faced legitimate controversy over specific statements or positions.
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