WASHINGTON, Sept 13: The mid-term congressional polls in November may lead to the election of the first Muslim representative to the US Congress. On Tuesday, Keith Ellison, already a two-term member of the Minnesota state legislature, beat three contenders in the Democratic primary.

His constituency in the city of Minneapolis has long been dominated by the Democratic Party. In the 2004 election, about seven in 10 voters backed Democrat John Kerry for president. That makes Mr Ellison the favourite against Republican Alan Fine, independent Tammy Lee and Green Party member Jay Pond.

He is running his campaign on a liberal message, calling for peace, withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and universal health care.

If he won, Mr Ellison, a 43-year-old criminal defence lawyer, will also be the first African-American to represent Minnesota in the US Congress.

Mr Ellison was raised in a middle class Catholic family, one of four sons. He converted to Islam while at Wayne State University. In adherence to Muslim law, Mr Ellison doesn’t drink alcohol or eat pork. His wife isn’t a Muslim, but the couple is raising their children in the faith. He attends a Minneapolis mosque, Masjid An-Nur, led by Imam Makram El-Amin.

Mr Ellison almost never talked about race or religion during the campaign unless asked, but he referred to it when he talked with supporters after the victory.

“We brought together all ages, all colours, all faiths,” he said.