By Islam El-Sakka
Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, defeating Republican Mike Rogers to become the first Muslim senator in American history. The victory, declared early Wednesday at the state Democratic headquarters in Detroit, contributed to a decisive Democratic majority in the Senate after the party flipped seats in Texas, Kansas and South Carolina.
Victory speech and grassroots movement
El-Sayed, a 42-year-old physician and former Wayne County health director, told supporters he was the “unlikeliest of candidates” welcomed into homes, churches and synagogues across Michigan. He credited a year-and-a-half of campaigning in cities and small towns, saying voters gave him strength during the race’s lowest moments.
Islamophobic attacks from Trump and allies
The campaign was marked by repeated Islamophobic rhetoric from Donald Trump and Republican allies. Trump labeled El-Sayed a “jihadist” and suggested he would need a metal detector to enter the Senate, while also tying him to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed said his detractors chose division over addressing the cost of gas and groceries because they lacked solutions.
Primary upset and general election spending
El-Sayed first upset establishment favorite Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary. The pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, through its United Democracy Project super PAC, spent roughly $30 million trying to block his nomination, a record for a single primary. Total advertising spending in the general election exceeded $220 million by mid-October, according to AdImpact.
Policy contrasts and Rogers’ record
El-Sayed advocated for Medicare for All and an end to U.S. military aid to Israel, declaring in his victory speech that taxes should fund schools, healthcare and infrastructure at home rather than “apartheid, or genocide, or war.” Rogers, a former congressman endorsed by Trump, had backed the president’s tariff policies and a hard line on Iran before breaking with him late in the campaign. He previously opposed the Affordable Care Act and repeated Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election.
