Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat, won Michigan’s U.S. Senate race on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. El-Sayed, 42, defeated Republican Mike Rogers in a crucial Senate battleground state despite a last-minute defection from his Democratic primary rival, Rep. Haley Stevens.
El-Sayed, 42, will become the nation’s first Muslim senator, according to The New York Times.
The son of Egyptian immigrants thanked a cheering crowd of supporters in Detroit as he declared victory, the AP reported.
“You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates,” El-Sayed said. “Thank you. This is all yours.”
[ Election 2026: Democrats capture both chambers of Congress ]
El-Sayed, a former public health official who has never held a political office, is an outspoken critic of Israel, the Times reported. Moderate Democrats and Jewish voters opposed the candidate’s position, and Stevens also defected from her party to support the Republican candidate, according to the newspaper.
Her endorsement of Rogers was met with condemnation among Democrats.
Still, President Donald Trump and other Republicans sought to tie El-Sayed to terrorist organizations despite no evidence, and they also questioned his loyalty to the United States, the AP reported. Trump went as far as characterizing El-Sayed as a “jihadist” at a rally last month in Port Huron, Michigan, and in Truth Social posts.
It is my honor and privilege to be headed to the US Senate to serve the great state of Michigan. Michigan, we did what they said couldn’t be done. We won. Together. Now the real work begins. https://t.co/ITgNRyUkNc
— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) November 4, 2026
El-Sayed ran on a platform of “money out of politics, money in your pocket, Medicare for all,” according to the Times. He linked Rogers to Trump’s policies, specifically tariffs and the war in Iran, the newspaper reported.
The Senate race in Michigan was the most expensive in state history, with $278 million spent on television and digital advertising, according to AdImpact. El-Sayed was outspent in both the Democratic primary, when pro-Israel super PACs supported Stevens, and during the general election against Rogers, according to the Times.
During his victory speech, El-Sayed said Republicans “went all in on one of the ugliest campaigns that we’ve seen in our lifetimes.”
“They might have been pointing to my name and my faith, but we all know my name and my faith are not why you can’t afford your gas,” he said, according to the AP.
©2026 Cox Media Group
