# List of Arab and Middle Eastern Americans in the United States Congress

This article is a list of all Arab Americans and Middle Eastern Americans who have ever served in the United States Congress. This list includes persons of North African or Horn of Africa native ancestry who identify as Arabs, as well as Middle Eastern Americans who are not Arabs.
The first Arab American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives was George A. Kasem in 1959, and the first Arab-American U.S. senator was James Abourezk in 1973. In the 115th Congress, there were six U.S. representatives and no U.S. senators of Arab-American descent serving in Congress. On November 6, 2018, four additional Arab Americans, all of whom are female, were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives: Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Ilhan Omar, Donna Shalala, and Rashida Tlaib. Tlaib and Omar were also the first Muslim women in Congress. The U.S. House of Representatives currently has five Arab-American members.
The first Assyrian American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives was Adam Benjamin in 1977, and the first Persian-American U.S. representative was Stephanie Bice in 2021. The first Egyptian-American and Coptic-American U.S. senator was George Helmy in 2024. Up until January 3, 2025, Congress had an Assyrian-American U.S. representative, Anna Eshoo, who retired after serving 16 terms in the House.

## Senate

| Senator (lifespan) | Arab or Middle Eastern ethnicity | Religion | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Notes |
| James Abourezk (1931–2023) | Lebanese | Maronite Catholic | Democratic | South Dakota | January 3, 1973 | January 3, 1979 | Retired |
| George J. Mitchell (born 1933) | Lebanese | Maronite Catholic | Democratic | Maine | May 17, 1980 | January 3, 1995 | Retired |
| James Abdnor (1923–2012) | Lebanese | Christian | Republican | South Dakota | January 3, 1981 | January 3, 1987 | Lost reelection |
| Spencer Abraham (born 1952) | Lebanese | Eastern Orthodox | Republican | Michigan | January 3, 1995 | January 3, 2001 | Lost reelection |
| John E. Sununu (born 1964) | Palestinian, Lebanese | Eastern Orthodox | Republican | New Hampshire | January 3, 2003 | January 3, 2009 | Lost reelection |
| George Helmy (born 1979) | Egyptian (Coptic) | Oriental Orthodox | Democratic | New Jersey | September 9, 2024 | December 8, 2024 | Appointed following the resignation of Bob Menendez Resigned to allow for the appointment of Andy Kim |

## House of Representatives

| Representative (lifespan) | Arab or Middle Eastern ethnicity | Religion | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Notes |
| George A. Kasem (1919–2002) | Lebanese | Christian | Democratic | California | January 3, 1959 | January 3, 1961 | Lost reelection |
| Abraham Kazen (1919–1987) | Lebanese | Maronite Catholic | Democratic | Texas | January 3, 1967 | January 3, 1985 | Lost renomination |
| James Abourezk (1931–2023) | Lebanese | Maronite Catholic | Democratic | South Dakota | January 3, 1971 | January 3, 1973 | Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senator from South Dakota |
| James Abdnor (1923–2012) | Lebanese | Christian | Republican | South Dakota | January 3, 1973 | January 3, 1981 | Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senator from South Dakota |
| Toby Moffett (born 1944) | Lebanese | Maronite Catholic | Democratic | Connecticut | January 3, 1975 | January 3, 1983 | Retired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senator from Connecticut |
| Adam Benjamin (1935–1982) | Assyrian | Eastern Orthodox | Democratic | Indiana | January 3, 1977 | September 7, 1982 | Died in office |
| Mary Rose Oakar (born 1940) | Lebanese, Syrian | Eastern Catholic | Democratic | Ohio | January 3, 1977 | January 3, 1993 | Lost reelection |
| Nick Rahall (born 1949) | Lebanese | Melkite Catholic | Democratic | West Virginia | January 3, 1977 | January 3, 2015 | Lost reelection |
| Pat Danner (born 1934) | Lebanese | Baptist | Democratic | Missouri | January 3, 1993 | January 3, 2001 | Retired |
| Anna Eshoo (born 1942) | Assyrian | Chaldean Catholic | Democratic | California | January 3, 1993 | January 3, 2025 | Retired |
| John Baldacci (born 1955) | Lebanese | Roman Catholic | Democratic | Maine | January 3, 1995 | January 3, 2003 | Retired to run successfully for Governor of Maine |
| Ray LaHood (born 1945) | Lebanese | Roman Catholic | Republican | Illinois | January 3, 1995 | January 3, 2009 | Retired to become U.S. Secretary of Transportation |
| Chris John (born 1960) | Lebanese | Roman Catholic | Democratic | Louisiana | January 3, 1997 | January 3, 2005 | Retired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senator from Louisiana |
| John E. Sununu (born 1964) | Palestinian, Lebanese | Eastern Orthodox | Republican | New Hampshire | January 3, 1997 | January 3, 2003 | Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senator from New Hampshire |
| Darrell Issa (born 1953) | Lebanese | Eastern Orthodox | Republican | California | January 3, 2001 | January 3, 2019 | Retired |
| Darrell Issa (born 1953) | Lebanese | Eastern Orthodox | Republican | California | January 3, 2021 | Incumbent | |
| Charles Boustany (born 1956) | Lebanese | Maronite Catholic | Republican | Louisiana | January 3, 2005 | January 3, 2017 | Retired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senator from Louisiana |
| Justin Amash (born 1980) | Palestinian, Syrian | Eastern Orthodox | Republican (2011–2019) | Michigan | January 3, 2011 | January 3, 2021 | Retired |
| Justin Amash (born 1980) | Palestinian, Syrian | Eastern Orthodox | Independent (2019–2020) | Michigan | January 3, 2011 | January 3, 2021 | Retired |
| Justin Amash (born 1980) | Palestinian, Syrian | Eastern Orthodox | Libertarian (2020–2021) | Michigan | January 3, 2011 | January 3, 2021 | Retired |
| Richard L. Hanna (1951–2020) | Lebanese | Presbyterian | Republican | New York | January 3, 2011 | January 3, 2017 | Retired |
| Ralph Abraham (born 1954) | Lebanese | Baptist | Republican | Louisiana | January 3, 2015 | January 3, 2021 | Retired |
| Gwen Graham (born 1963) | Lebanese | Episcopalian | Democratic | Florida | January 3, 2015 | January 3, 2017 | Retired |
| Garret Graves (born 1972) | Lebanese | Roman Catholic | Republican | Louisiana | January 3, 2015 | January 3, 2025 | Retired |
| Darin LaHood (born 1968) | Lebanese | Roman Catholic | Republican | Illinois | September 10, 2015 | Incumbent | |
| Charlie Crist (born 1956) | Greek Cypriot, Lebanese | Episcopalian | Democratic | Florida | January 3, 2017 | August 31, 2022 | Resigned |
| Rubén Kihuen (born 1980) | Lebanese | Roman Catholic | Democratic | Nevada | January 3, 2017 | January 3, 2019 | Retired |
| Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (born 1971) | Lebanese | Roman Catholic | Democratic | Florida | January 3, 2019 | January 3, 2021 | Lost reelection |
| Ilhan Omar (born 1981) | Somali | Sunni Muslim | Democratic | Minnesota | January 3, 2019 | Incumbent | |
| Donna Shalala (born 1941) | Lebanese | Maronite Catholic | Democratic | Florida | January 3, 2019 | January 3, 2021 | Lost reelection |
| Rashida Tlaib (born 1976) | Palestinian | Sunni Muslim | Democratic | Michigan | January 3, 2019 | Incumbent | |
| Stephanie Bice (born 1973) | Persian | Roman Catholic (born to a Muslim father) | Republican | Oklahoma | January 3, 2021 | Incumbent | |
| Yassamin Ansari (born 1992) | Persian | Agnostic (born to Muslim parents) | Democratic | Arizona | January 3, 2025 | Incumbent | |
| Abraham Hamadeh (born 1991) | Syrian | Non-denominational (born to a Muslim father and Druze mother) | Republican | Arizona | January 3, 2025 | Incumbent | |