Excerpt:
Congressman Keith Ellison's election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006 was a watershed event not only for Minnesota but for our country's relationship with Muslim-majority societies. President Obama pointedly made a reference to Congressman Ellison both in his inaugural speech and during the Cairo speech.
One of the positive outcomes of the trail blazed by Congressman Ellison is the increase in engagement of American Muslims in the political process. Several local Muslim organizations have registered tens of thousands of Minnesota Muslim voters. Prominent candidates have made it a point to reach out to American Muslim voters. Foremost among them are the gubernatorial candidates Matt Entenza and Margaret Anderson Kelliher, both of whom visited local American Muslim communities.