Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan’s US Senate seat and will become the first Muslim member of the chamber. He beat Republican Mike Rogers in a midterms contest that saw Donald Trump repeatedly target his faith.
Donald Trump’s nemesis wins in Michigan state
The Associated Press called the race for El-Sayed with 85 percent of votes counted (via Daily Beast). He addressed supporters at the Michigan Democrats’ Detroit headquarters at about 1.30 am on Wednesday. His victory comes as Democrats take control of the Senate.
El-Sayed used his speech to play on a phrase he often repeated on the campaign trail. “You may have noticed I always say Insha’Allah or God willing whenever the outcome of this race was mentioned. But today, tonight, we can turn that Inshallah into a Alhamdulillah,” he said. He then added: “For the right-wing ops, that just means, Praise be to God.”
He thanked voters for a campaign that ran for a year and a half across the state. “You welcomed me in your homes, your churches, your synagogues,” he said. Meanwhile, Donald Trump endorsed Rogers and put El-Sayed’s background at the center of his rally speeches.
He called the Democrat a “jihadist” and said El-Sayed would “have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate.” The president also described him as a communist and a member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.
Republicans pitched the contest as a verdict on the Democratic left. Trump carried Michigan in 2024, and party strategists hoped the attacks would drive conservative turnout. El-Sayed said his opponents chose division over talking about gas and grocery prices. “They want an America that is too small for some of us,” he said. “We know that America is big enough for all of us.”
Abdul El-Sayed is a doctor and former Wayne County health director. He backs Medicare for All and wants the US to stop sending military aid to Israel.