Facing a barrage of anti-Muslim attacks from President Donald Trump and his allies, the Democratic establishment has belatedly rallied behind Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's tightly contested Senate race. Former President Barack Obama, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have campaigned with El-Sayed in recent days. But the attacks, including Trump branding El-Sayed a 'jihadist,' have angered Arab American voters who helped Trump win Michigan in 2024, raising questions about the impact of the rhetoric on a race that could decide control of the Senate.
The Senate race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers is close, with polls giving El-Sayed a narrow lead. If elected, he would be the first Muslim US senator.
El-Sayed, a Michigan-born physician and former public health official of Egyptian descent, has faced a wave of attacks from Trump and his allies. Trump has repeatedly called him a 'jihadist,' misrepresented his name as 'Mohammed,' and suggested he should go through a metal detector before entering the Senate. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) labeled El-Sayed a 'jihadist leprechaun,' and Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy invoked Dearborn, home to a large Arab American community, to stoke fears about immigration. Rogers has accused El-Sayed of baseless ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and Iran.
In response, Democrats have mobilized. Obama appeared with El-Sayed in Detroit on the first day of early voting, saying the attacks on his name reminded him of his own experience: 'I remind them his name was Barack.' Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez each transferred $1 million to El-Sayed's campaign. But the support has been uneven. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said his views on Israel are 'much different than mine,' and Representative Haley Stevens, whom El-Sayed narrowly defeated in the primary, did not mention him in her answer when asked if she was still fully behind him. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) similarly avoided mentioning El-Sayed by name in a CNN interview.
El-Sayed has dismissed the attacks as deflections, saying Trump is using his faith to distract people from the cost of gas, groceries, and healthcare. 'He knows my name is Abdul. He says it every day,' El-Sayed said in a statement.
The rhetoric has drawn anger in the Arab American community that helped Trump carry Michigan in 2024. The Washington Examiner reported that anger over the Biden administration's handling of the war between Israel and Hamas prompted some traditionally Democratic voters to abandon the party, and that Trump carried Dearborn, home to one of the nation's largest Arab American communities. Panna Sharker, 35, told the Washington Examiner: 'Two years ago, we were his best friends. Now, we are terrorists.' Amina Ahmed, 21, asked whether people in her community could be attacked and whether anybody would care. Daud Walid, executive director of CAIR Michigan, said anti-Muslim bias appears across both parties and that expecting Muslims running for office or involved in politics to answer for a minority portion of the Muslim world is a problem.
Yet, one woman who attended a Trump rally had a positive personal impression of El-Sayed. She spoke with him during an October campaign stop and described him as relatable, 'someone who gets what working people are going through right now.'
Rogers has defended the focus on El-Sayed's background as being about national security. 'This is not about the way you pray; it's the way you think,' he told reporters.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The race could decide which party controls the US Senate.
- The outcome will test the political impact of anti-Muslim rhetoric and whether Trump's strategy of targeting El-Sayed backfires with key constituencies.
- The Democratic establishment's cautious embrace, full of caveats, reflects broader party divisions over Israel and progressive candidates.
Background
El-Sayed is a Detroit-area physician and former public health official who ran for governor in 2018. He won the Democratic Senate primary in August, narrowly defeating a candidate backed by pro-Israel groups including AIPAC, which spent nearly $30 million against him. Trump won Michigan in 2024 by less than two points, partly due to Arab American dissatisfaction with the Biden administration's policy on Gaza. The current Senate is nearly evenly divided, making this race critical for control.
Key Perspectives
Donald Trump: calls El-Sayed a 'jihadist' and has argued he should be forced to go through a metal detector; claims El-Sayed is a national security threat.
Abdul El-Sayed: dismisses attacks as 'deflections and deceptions,' saying Trump is using his name and faith to distract from economic issues.
Arab American voters in Michigan: express anger and betrayal, saying the attacks make them feel unsafe; some regret their 2024 support for Trump.
Democratic leadership (Obama, Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez): endorse El-Sayed, often acknowledging policy disagreements on Israel and other matters, but emphasizing the need to stop Trump's agenda.
Mike Rogers: defends scrutiny of El-Sayed's background as about national security, not religion.
What to Watch
- The election results on November 5, and whether El-Sayed's narrow lead holds.
- Arab American turnout in Dearborn and other key communities.
- How Democratic unity, or lack of it, affects voters' perception of El-Sayed.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 3 sources: 12 supported.
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- SupportedDemocrats have rallied behind El-Sayed as Trump and his allies escalate attacks on him.World news | The Guardian: “Facing a barrage of extreme attacks from Donald Trump and his allies, the Democratic establishment is finally rallying around progressive Abdul El-Sayed”
- SupportedArab American voters are angry about the attacks, and the community helped Trump win Michigan in 2024.Washington Examiner: “his increasingly personal attacks on Democratic Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed are drawing anger in a community that helped him win the state in 2024.”
- SupportedObama, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez have campaigned with El-Sayed in recent days.World news | The Guardian: “That same weekend, the independent senator Bernie Sanders rallied with him in Grand Rapids, and former president Barack Obama stood beside him in Detroit. Days earlier, New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez toured the state with him.”
- SupportedThe Senate race is close, and polls give El-Sayed a narrow lead over Mike Rogers.World news | The Guardian: “The Michigan Senate race – which could help decide which party controls the entire chamber – is a close, according to polls, which have typically given El-Sayed a small lead over his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers.”
- SupportedTrump has repeatedly called El-Sayed a “jihadist.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Trump has repeatedly mocked El-Sayed’s name, misrepresenting it as Mohammed, and called the Democratic candidate a “jihadist”.”
- SupportedTrump misrepresented El-Sayed’s name as “Mohammed” and suggested he should go through a metal detector before entering the Senate.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Trump has repeatedly mocked El-Sayed’s name, misrepresenting it as Mohammed, and called the Democratic candidate a “jihadist”. Trump has suggested that El-Sayed would be a physical threat to the Capitol, saying that he would want him to go through a metal detector .”
- SupportedTed Cruz called El-Sayed a “jihadist leprechaun.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Texas Senator Ted Cruz joined in on such attacks, describing El-Sayed as a “jihadist leprechaun”.”
- SupportedVivek Ramaswamy invoked Dearborn to stoke fears about immigration.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “On Wednesday, Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy invoked Dearborn – one of the safest and fastest-growing cities in Michigan – to drum up fear of immigration.”
- SupportedRogers accused El-Sayed of baseless ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Iran.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Rogers has been baselessly accusing El-Sayed of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood , Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.”
- SupportedObama said, “I remind them his name was Barack,” while appearing with El-Sayed in Detroit on the first day of early voting.World news | The Guardian: “He joined El-Sayed on stage on the first day of early voting – his first public show of support for El-Sayed since the August primary – while a protest held by the white nationalist and 6 January rioter Jake Lang took place outside. The former president likened the attacks on El-Sayed’s name to those he faced himself. “I remind them his name was Barack,” he said.”
- SupportedSanders and Ocasio-Cortez each transferred $1 million to El-Sayed’s campaign.World news | The Guardian: “Both Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders have transferred $1m to the El-Sayed campaign.”
- SupportedA Washington Examiner source said, “Two years ago, we were his best friends. Now, we are terrorists.”Washington Examiner: ““Two years ago, we were his best friends. Now, we are terrorists,” Panna Sharker, 35, told the Washington Examiner in Dearborn on Wednesday.”