Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan’s Senate race, defeating Republican Mike Rogers and becoming the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate. In his victory speech, El-Sayed taunted President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who had used racist labels and rhetoric against him, telling them he would soon be sworn in as senator.
El-Sayed, a 42-year-old physician and former Detroit public health director, bested Rogers. With roughly 85% of votes counted, he received 51.9% to Rogers’s 46.1%, according to the Washington Examiner. The Associated Press called the race shortly after 2:25 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday.
“JD, habibi, it is an irony – you are constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January,” El-Sayed told cheering supporters in Detroit. “Donald, I know you struggle with my name, so when JD swears me in, you can call me ‘senator.’” Vance had previously described El-Sayed as a “psychopath”; Trump repeatedly called him a “jihadist” and mocked his name.
The race to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters was one of the most closely watched in the midterm elections, with control of the Senate at stake. El-Sayed’s win cemented Democrats’ recapture of the chamber, giving them a 54th seat.
El-Sayed campaigned on a left-wing platform of Medicare for All, a wealth tax, and ending US military aid to Israel, which he has accused of genocide in Gaza. That stance drew withering attacks from Republicans and created tension within his own party. Rogers portrayed El-Sayed as a communist, while Trump, who carried Michigan in 2024, repeated an unfounded Republican claim linking him to the Muslim Brotherhood.
In the final days of the campaign, El-Sayed’s Democratic primary opponent, Representative Haley Stevens, endorsed Rogers, saying she was “choosing country over hate.” Stevens, a staunch Israel supporter who had lost to El-Sayed in August, had AIPAC spend more than $30 million backing her during the primary. Democratic leaders called her endorsement a “despicable betrayal.”
“We showed that in a battle between the money and the many, that the many really can win,” El-Sayed told supporters.
El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, framed his victory as a rejection of bigotry. “They went all in on one of the ugliest campaigns we’ve seen in a long time,” he said, accusing opponents of attacking him “because of my name and my faith.” He added: “To all the parents who struggled to explain why the president openly mocks someone for their name or how they pray, let them know tomorrow that the bad guys lost.”
In Dearborn, a suburb with a large Arab-American population, long lines stretched outside polling stations. “We are sick and tired and the American people are generally sick and tired of all this hate,” said Ali Baleed Almaklani, a leader in the Yemeni American community.
El-Sayed will be sworn into office on January 3, 2027.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- El-Sayed’s election makes him the first Muslim US senator, a milestone in American political representation.
- His victory shows a progressive candidate can win a swing state while openly criticizing Israel, challenging the Democratic Party’s traditional stance.
- The result represents a direct rejection of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab campaign rhetoric amplified by Trump and his allies.
Background
Abdul El-Sayed was born and raised in the Detroit area. He studied at the University of Michigan, where he was valedictorian, then became a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and earned a medical degree from Columbia University. He served as executive director of Detroit’s Health Department before running for governor of Michigan in 2018, losing the Democratic primary to Gretchen Whitmer. He launched his Senate campaign in 2026 after Senator Gary Peters announced his retirement.
Key Perspectives
- Abdul El-Sayed: framed his win as a victory for ordinary people over wealthy political interests, saying “the many really can win.” He called Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide and argued US tax money should go to education and healthcare instead of foreign wars.
- President Donald Trump: called El-Sayed a “jihadist” and a “lunatic,” and claimed without evidence that he hates Jews and Blacks. Trump posted on Truth Social hours before polls opened that “only fools would vote for him.”
- Representative Haley Stevens: endorsed her primary opponent’s Republican rival Mike Rogers, saying she was “choosing country over hate.” Her staff resigned en masse after the endorsement.
- Arab American Institute Executive Director Maya Berry: said the electorate’s rejection of anti-Muslim bigotry is “tremendous” and “argue for every little boy named Abdul … that this country supports an inclusive democracy.”
- Dearborn voter Mike Mohammed: criticised Republican attempts to paint Arabs and Muslims as foreigners, saying “We’re more American than them.”
What to Watch
- El-Sayed’s swearing-in on January 3, 2027, with Vice President Vance presiding.
- How El-Sayed’s foreign policy positions affect Democratic Senate unity, particularly on Israel aid.
- Potential Republican efforts in 2028 to retake the Michigan Senate seat, given the state’s swing status.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 4 sources: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedEl-Sayed told JD Vance, “JD, habibi, it is an irony – you are constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January,” while addressing cheering supporters.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““JD, habibi [Arabic term of endearment], it is an irony – you are constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January,” El-Sayed told cheering supporters”
- SupportedEl-Sayed told Trump, “Donald, I know you struggle with my name, so when JD swears me in, you can call me ‘senator.’”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““Donald, I know you struggle with my name, so when JD swears me in, you can call me ‘senator.’ May we never have to see the likes of you in Michigan again.””
- SupportedEl-Sayed said, “They went all in on one of the ugliest campaigns we’ve seen in a long time,” accusing opponents of attacking him “because of my name and my faith.”BBC News: ““They went all in on one of the ugliest campaigns we've seen in a long time,” he said, accusing them of attacking him “because of my name and my faith””
- SupportedEl-Sayed said, “To all the parents who struggled to explain why the president openly mocks someone for their name or how they pray, let them know tomorrow that the bad guys lost.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““To all the parents who struggled to explain why the president openly mocks someone for their name or how they pray, let them know tomorrow that the bad guys lost,” he said in his victory speech.”
- SupportedAli Baleed Almaklani said, “We are sick and tired and the American people are generally sick and tired of all this hate.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““We are sick and tired and the American people are generally sick and tired of all this hate,” Almaklani told Al Jazeera.”
- SupportedThe headline’s “Call me senator” quote reflects El-Sayed telling Trump that he could call him senator when Vance swore him in.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““Donald, I know you struggle with my name, so when JD swears me in, you can call me ‘senator.’””
- SupportedEl-Sayed defeated Mike Rogers and became the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.World news | The Guardian: “Abdul El-Sayed, the doctor and progressive insurgent, has made history in winning the closely watched US Senate race in Michigan, defeating the Republican Mike Rogers to become the country’s first Muslim senator.”
- SupportedWith roughly 85% of votes counted, El-Sayed had 51.9% and Rogers had 46.1%.Washington Examiner: “With roughly 85% of votes counted, el Sayed received 51.9%, while Rogers received 46.1%”
- SupportedThe Associated Press called the race shortly after 2:25 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday.Washington Examiner: “The Associated Press called the race for el Sayed shortly after 2.25 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday.”
- SupportedHaley Stevens endorsed Rogers in the final days of the campaign and said she was “choosing country over hate.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “On Sunday, Stevens endorsed Rogers, saying she was “choosing country over hate””
- SupportedAIPAC spent more than $30 million backing Stevens against El-Sayed during the primary.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “the pro-Israel lobbying group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) spent more than $30m backing her against El-Sayed.”
- SupportedEl-Sayed will be sworn into office on January 3, 2027.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “He will be sworn in on January 3 .”