Democrat Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Seat, First Muslim in Chamber
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Abdul El-Sayed secured Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, protecting a Democratic hold and becoming the chamber's first Muslim member after running on an agenda centered on lowering costs, curbing corporate power, and expanding Medicare for All.
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed was projected to have won Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat on Nov. 3, preserving a vital Democratic foothold in a hard-fought race. At 42, the former public-health official campaigned on a plainly populist platform that focused on lowering costs for working families, reining in corporate influence over politics, and advancing a Medicare-for-All program.
The victory blocks Republicans from seizing the seat of retiring Senator Gary Peters and gives new energy to the party’s progressive wing. Republicans entered the midterm elections with a 53-47 Senate majority and needed a net gain of four seats to take control, underscoring how much was at stake in the contest.
El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, former congressman and FBI agent Mike Rogers, was backed by President Donald Trump and national Republicans. Rogers’ campaign tried to smear El-Sayed as a radical tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, claims the candidate denied and for which no evidence was presented. Democrats said the attacks relied on ugly Islamophobic tropes.
Rogers also appealed to Jewish voters concerned about El-Sayed’s opposition to U.S. military aid for Israel and his description of Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. In the final weeks, Rogers broke with the president on the war in Iran and the U.S. trade dispute with Canada, arguing that ending both would help lower costs for businesses and consumers.