If you’re like me, you probably stayed up last night watching the US midterm election results. It’s no secret I am terrified of Trump and what his GOP is doing to the US we know and love.

I was very happy to know that 1.15% of US congresspeople were of Lebanese descent, given the Lebanese diaspora is just 0.2% of the total population.

So, as of today, 5 out of the 435 representatives are of Lebanese origin. 3 of them were on the Republican ticket, so not sure how I feel about them being in Trump’s party… But I’m happy to see two reps winning as Democrats, including a congresswoman in Florida.

I hope these representatives, from both parties, can help lessen the damage the current administration’s policies have had on our part of the world. I also hope they can help Lebanon avoid the brunt of sanctions the Trump administration is putting on Iran and Hezbollah.

Democrats

Donna Shalala — Florida’s 27th Congressional District

Shalala was the Health and Human Services in Bill Clinton’s administration (1993–2001). She also served as the president of the University of Miami from 2001 till 2015. The district Shalala has been elected to represent is in traditionally Democratic southern Florida, and includes a large part of Miami, Miami Beach and Little Havana.

Charlie Crist — Florida’s 13th Congressional District

This was a very significant win, given Crist was able to flip a seat held by Republican representatives for decades. Crist is of Lebanese and Greek descent, and used to be a Republican till he endorsed President Obama and 2012 and became a Democrat.

Republicans

Ralph Abraham — Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District

Abraham got re-elected last night as the US representative of Louisiana’s 5th congressional district.

Garret Graves — Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District

Graves, another US representative from Louisiana, easily kept his seat in the state’s 5th congressional district.

Darin Lahood — Illionois 18th Congressional District

Darin won a seat in the Illinois 18th district where his father Ray Lahood served as congressman for 7 terms.

Governor Chris Sununu — New Hampshire

At the moment, Sununu is the youngest state governor in the US. His father was also NH governor and White House Chief of Staff, John H. Sununu. He has Lebanese and Palestinian roots.