The model, the Grammy winner and the 'Dragon Ball Z' composer: Some of the midterms' big winners have fascinating backgrounds

Every major election cycle serves as something of an introduction to a sprawling new cast of characters who have been elevated to national fame after winning one of the biggest races in the country. These midterms were no different.

Tuesday's election results featured a long list of new governors, senators, House members and other officials who many Americans likely learned about for the first time. The roster of breakout midterm winners includes some candidates with unexpected backgrounds, past jobs or family histories.

Here's a rundown on some of the more unique biographical nuggets from this year's group of newly elected lawmakers.

Iowa's next governor, Democrat Rob Sand, has a résumé that looks relatively by-the-book at first glance. He's currently serving as state auditor and previously worked in the Iowa attorney general's office. But go a bit further back, and you'll find some more unconventional elements in his bio. He worked as a model in the early 2000s, walking the runway for major fashion brands in Paris and Milan. He also coauthored a true crime book about "the largest lottery-rigging scheme in American history."

Nathan Johnson, a Democrat who was elected to become attorney general of Texas on Tuesday, has the legal and political credentials you'd typically expect from someone who's about to become a state's most important law enforcement official. But before he took part in this year's midterm blue wave, he spent his time thinking about Kamehameha Waves. Johnson is credited with composing the score for 67 episodes of the English dub of Dragon Ball Z , one of the most iconic anime series of all time.

Democrat Bobby Pulido was elected to represent Texas's 15th Congressional District, flipping a seat that had voted Republican for the first time ever two years ago back under Democratic control. Unlike some of the other candidates on this list, Pulido's unique background isn't hidden deep in the "personal life" section of his Wikipedia page.

He put his history as a Tejano music star front and center throughout his campaign. Since launching his music career in 1995, Pulido has released 15 albums and been awarded two Latin Grammys .

"For over 30 years, you played my music at your weddings, your quinceañeras, and your carne asadas," Pulido said in a message to Texas voters after being elected. "Tonight, you trusted me with something even bigger than a song, you trusted me with your future and I will work hard every day to honor it."

Another newly elected lawmaker whose old profession is anything but a secret is Mark Teixeira, a former Major League Baseball superstar who was elected to represent Texas's 21st District in the House.

Teixeira, a Republican, was named an All-Star three times during his 14-year career playing with the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees. Teixeira was a standout hitter and elite defender, earning five Gold Glove awards. He won a World Series title with the Yankees in 2009.

Before launching a career in politics that would make him Iowa's next senator, Democrat Josh Turek was one of the most successful wheelchair basketball players in history. Born with spina bifida, Turek began playing adaptive sports in his early teens and went on to become a standout star in college. He competed for Team USA at four Paralympic Games, winning two gold medals and a bronze. He was elected to the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame in 2023.

One of the biggest breakout names of the midterms was Keisha Lance Bottoms , a Georgia Democrat who will soon become the country's first Black woman governor. Bottoms's father was something of a pioneer himself in the world of music. Major Lance was a successful R&B singer with several hit songs in the 1960s, including "Monkey Time" and "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um."

Those songs, both written by Curtis Mayfield, include early characteristics of what would eventually become known as soul music. After his popularity waned in the United States, Lance found renewed success in the United Kingdom as a key figure in the "Northern Soul" craze.

New Hampshire Democrat Chris Pappas will become the first openly gay man to serve in the U.S. Senate when he's sworn in early next year. In 2011, seven years before he first ran for Congress, Pappas appeared as a contestant on the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Ironically, Pappas got stumped by a pair of questions connected to politics, which forced him to burn through two of his lifelines. He ended up taking home $17,500.

Pappas is also the grandson of a man who claims to have invented the chicken finger , and is still a co-owner of the family restaurant where that purported innovation took place.

There's a well-worn history of professional wrestlers pivoting to politics, but it's possible that no one has ever fused the two pursuits in the way that the next mayor of Providence, R.I., has. David Morales, a 28-year-old Democrat, performs in a local independent wrestling league under the persona "The Commissioner" — a corrupt, power-hungry politician designed to embody everything voters hate about elected officials.

Morales has said he believes there's "a lot of overlap" between wrestling and politics, "including showmanship, theater, athleticism, drama and humor." He also worries, though, that candidates who try too hard to emulate wrestlers risk leading themselves into "extremist rhetoric."