A historic blue wave swept the US House and Senate overnight, putting new Democratic rising stars in the spotlight.
For months, Abdul El-Sayed, Chris Pappas, James Talarico, and more have taken on the campaign trail with full force, and on Tuesday, a majority of their dreams came true.
El-Sayed, 42, became the first-ever Muslim to win a Senate seat in America after defeating Republican and Trump-backed Mike Rogers.
Pappas, 46, won the US Senate election in his home state of New Hampshire, making him the first openly gay man ever elected to the Senate.
Talarico, 37, flipped the state of Texas after becoming the first Democrat to win the state's Senate seat since 1988.
But all of the winners couldn't have gotten there without their partners - the people who stood by their sides through it all and who are now in the limelight now too.
Meet DC's newest power couples following the 2026 Midterm elections:
Abdul El-Sayed & Dr Sarah Jukaku
Abdul El-Sayed, 42, became the first-ever Muslim to win a Senate seat in America after defeating Republican and Trump-backed Mike Rogers
His wife, Dr Sarah Jukaku, was by his side throughout his campaign and when he won. The two of them met while attending the University of Michigan, and they share two daughters
Throughout his Senate campaign, El-Sayed had his psychiatrist wife, Dr Sarah Jukaku, by his side. She was also next to him on stage when he won.
The pair met at the University of Michigan and were featured in The Michigan Daily article in 2006.
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In the piece, Dr Jukaku said that El-Sayed proposed to her when she was a freshman.
'I was young, and one of the things he said was, "We're still growing, now we can grow together",' she recalled at the time.
El-Sayed told the outlet that he always knew he would marry young because of his Islamic faith.
'Islamically, there are no premarital relations of any sort. No touching, no nothing. Given that, the logical solution is to get married,' he said.
The Senate-elect added at the time: 'I was going to meet one girl and I was going to marry her. In some senses, I feel like that's the purest form of a relationship with someone. It cuts out all the B.S.'
They were also both members of the school's Muslim Students' Association.
El-Sayed and Dr Jukaku live together in Ann Arbor with their two daughters, Emmalee and Serene, according to his campaign website.
Chris Pappas, 46, won the US Senate election in his home state of New Hampshire, making him the first openly gay man ever elected to the Senate. He was joined on stage by his husband, Vann Bentley, on Tuesday evening
Pappas and Bentley got engaged in December 2021 and married each other on February 4, 2023, at the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
His wife was born to an Indian immigrant couple in Michigan, where she grew up. El-Sayed was raised in Southeast Michigan by his Egyptian immigrant dad and stepmother named Jackie.
Dr Jukaku obtained degrees in sociology and Near East studies before earning a master's degree from the University of Oxford. She went on to complete her medical studies at Columbia University.
El-Sayed also earned a medical degree from Columbia and Oxford, but he did not complete a medical residency and is not a licensed practicing physician.
After thanking his supporters on Tuesday night, El-Sayed brought his wife on stage as the crowd cheered her name.
'Sarah, thank you, thank you for everything, there is no doing this without you, and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else. I love you, and I am so grateful,' he said.
Chris Pappas & Vann Bentley
Pappas is married to Vann Bentley, an attorney who specializes in technology policy, cybersecurity and privacy, Lighthouse Recruitment reported.
They got engaged in December 2021 and married each other on February 4, 2023, at the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, according to the outlet.
At the time, Pappas was serving in the US House of Representatives for New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District.
Although Bentley and Pappas appear to keep their professional lives separate, the new Senate-elect recognized his husband during his victory speech.
His husband stood proudly by his side as Pappas thanked his supporters.
Bentley is an attorney who specializes in technology policy, cybersecurity and privacy. Although they appear to keep their professional lives separate, they publicly support each other
'I want to thank the guy next to me, my amazing husband, Van,' Pappas said as the two of them embraced each other.
The crowd continued to cheer for Bentley as Pappas joked: 'Alright, the wrong person was on the ballot, apparently. But he's always been by my side, and look, tonight, win, lose or draw, I'm the luckiest guy because I'm married to a man that I love.
'And despite all the negative attacks and the lies, it's nice to know that love and truth prevailed tonight.'
James Talarico & Brianna Menard
Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in Texas' Senate race and now he will head to Washington DC with his longtime girlfriend, Brianna Menard.
The two of them met while Menard served as his chief of staff, Talarico said on the Jamie Kern Lima Show, and his campaign later confirmed to The New York Times.
'Four years ago, after he and his then-chief of staff developed feelings for each other and started dating, she left the office to pursue other opportunities,' a spokesperson told the NYT.
Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in Texas' Senate race and now he will head to Washington DC with his longtime girlfriend, Brianna Menard (pictured together on Tuesday)
Menard then left Talarico's office and went on to work for elected state Rep. Salman Bhojani, who is the first Muslim member of the state's legislature.
She later became Bhojani's chief of staff, Talarico said in 2023.
Menard is currently the director of the Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee (TEXPAC), according to the agency's website.
During Talarico's campaign, Menard became a target when Paxton claimed that he was vegan.
Talarico denied the claim, and his spokesperson clarified that it is Menard who is vegan.
'James is not and never has been a vegan, much to his girlfriend's chagrin. As the saying goes, true love conquers all,' the spokesperson told the New York Post.
While appearing on the Jamie Kern Lima Show, Talarico shared how he tries his best to protect his loved ones from the ugliness of political campaigns.
The two of them met while Menard served as his chief of staff, Talarico said on the Jamie Kern Lima Show, and his campaign later confirmed to The New York Times
Menard is currently the director of the Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee (TEXPAC), according to the agency's website
'What I'm trying to do is protect her and my family and my friends from the impacts of this race, because I signed up to run for the U.S. Senate.
'Obviously, they did not, and so I'm trying to balance running this race while also protecting them and protecting her in particular,' he stated.
Although he did not publicly thank her during his election night victory speech, he has previously referred to Menard as his 'best friend' and 'rock.'
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