Muslims Made The Difference? - by Gary Bauer Among the minutiae of exit polling data comes this interesting claim from the Muslim American Society (MAS): U.S. Muslims made the difference in switching control of the United States Senate from the Republicans to the Democrats. MAS ran extensive get-out-the-vote efforts aimed at Muslim voters in targeted states including Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia – states where Democrat Senate candidates knocked off Republican incumbents. Citing exit polls from Virginia, Mahdi Bray, director of MAS, noted that more than 50,000 Muslims voted, and 92% -- or more than 47,000 -- backed Democrat Jim Webb over incumbent Republican George Allen. Webb’s margin of victory was fewer than 9,400 votes. Had American Muslims not voted so monolithically Democrat, the U.S. Senate would be divided 50-50 with Vice President Dick Cheney casting tie-breaking votes. In recent elections, there has been a stark shift in voting loyalties among American Muslims, 78% of whom backed President Bush in 2000, largely on values issues like abortion and homosexual rights. However, 70% of Muslims voted for John Kerry four years later. U.S. Muslims are also celebrating the election of the first Muslim to Congress, as Democrat Keith Ellison was elected to represent Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District last week.