Democrat Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Seat, First Muslim in Chamber
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Abdul El-Sayed captured Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, keeping it in Democratic hands and becoming the chamber's first Muslim member after campaigning on left-wing plans to raise the state’s political and economic stakes.
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed was projected to have won Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat on Nov. 3, holding a key Democratic seat in one of the year’s most closely watched races. At 42, the former public-health official ran on an aggressively left-leaning platform that emphasized lowering costs for working families, reducing corporate influence in politics, and advancing a Medicare-for-All program.
The victory stops Republicans from flipping the seat of retiring Senator Gary Peters and strengthens 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, making the loss a setback in their effort to win the chamber.
El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, former congressman and FBI agent Mike Rogers, received backing from President Donald Trump and national Republicans. Rogers’ campaign sought to warn voters about El-Sayed as a radical linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, allegations the candidate denied and for which no evidence was presented. Democrats said the attacks relied on 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.