Executive Summary
- A CAIR exit poll of 1,626 Muslim voters indicates overwhelming support for Democratic candidates in the November 2025 elections.
- High-profile Democratic candidates, such as Zohran Mamdani in New York and Ghazala Hashmi in Virginia, received over 95% of the Muslim vote, according to the survey.
- The results suggest a recovery of support for the Democratic party from Muslim voters who had previously shifted away over foreign policy positions in 2024.
A new exit poll indicates that Muslim voters in the United States provided overwhelming support for Democratic candidates in the November 4, 2025, elections across several key states. The survey, released by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), suggests a significant recovery of support for the Democratic party from a key demographic one year before the 2026 midterm elections.
The poll, which surveyed 1,626 self-identified Muslim respondents, reported high levels of backing for specific candidates. According to the data, New York’s Democratic Socialist Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani received 97 percent of the Muslim vote, while Virginia’s Democratic Senator Ghazala Hashmi secured 95 percent in her successful bid for lieutenant governor.
Support also extended to more centrist Democratic candidates. Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey’s Mikie Sherrill, who both won their gubernatorial races, each received approximately 85 percent support from Muslim voters, the survey showed. Additionally, California’s Proposition 50, a measure approving a congressional map favorable to Democrats, was reportedly backed by 90 percent of Muslim voters.
CAIR framed the results as evidence of high civic engagement within the community. “American Muslims are showing up, speaking out, and shaping the future of our democracy,” the organization said in a statement. The group also noted that voters were rising up in “the face of anti-Muslim bigotry.”
The survey’s results suggest a reversal from the 2024 presidential election, when some Muslim voters reportedly moved away from the Democratic party due to former President Joe Biden’s policies regarding the conflict in Gaza. CAIR reported that 38 of 76 Muslim candidates who ran in the recent elections were successful, including victories in mayoral races in the Michigan cities of Hamtramck, Dearborn, and Dearborn Heights.