Minneapolis, USA - Democrat Keith Ellison has become the first Muslim to win a seat in the US Congress despite a bitter campaign marked by sharp personal attacks.
"Tonight, we made history," Ellison said in a victory speech to supporters. "We won a key election, but we did much more than that. We showed that a candidate can run a 100 percent positive campaign and prevail, even against tough opposition."
Ellison won a strong majority but amid controversy over his past links to a radical Muslim group, his support was well down on the 70 percent won by his Democratic predecessor who retired from the House of Representatives.
Republican rival Alan Fine fought a relentless campaign attacking Ellison's past association with the controversial Nation of Islam group, seeking to use it as a sign of anti-Semitism.
Ellison also attracted controversy over unpaid parking tickets, campaign violations and his family life.
On the campaign trail Ellison, an attorney and two-term state legislator, downplayed his religion and blamed the media for keeping it in the news.
"I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility," Ellison said. "I feel like I've got a lot of work to do. I feel like I've got to pull people together and keep them together. We're having fun tonight, but tomorrow, it's on."
Ellison, who said he converted from Roman Catholicism to Islam in college, insists his involvement with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan was limited to helping organize a 1995 march by black men in Washington.
He was supported by the National Jewish Democratic Council as well as a prominent Minneapolis Jewish newspaper, which endorsed him over Fine, who is Jewish.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson, a former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, also campaigned for Ellison, who ran on a populist platform.
He has called for an immediate pullout of US troops from Iraq, greater reliance on renewable fuels, and for a universal, government-paid health care system.
Speaking of the controversy about his background, Ellison said: "We showed that we are stronger when we build bridges between communities rather than trying to divide and conquer."
He added: "We are working for an America where everybody counts, where everybody matters, and where peace is our guiding principle. We'll do it together."
Ellison's candidacy has drawn international attention.
His election has "huge symbolism", said Larry Jacobs, a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota.
"The message goes out from the United States that Muslims can be included in the political process and welcomed in Congress -- that America is not at war with Islam," Jacobs said.