Abdul El-Sayed becomes first Muslim elected to US Senate, beats Mike Rogers in Michigan

LANSING, Michigan: Democratic Party candidate Dr Abdul El-Sayed has won the Senate election in the US state of Michigan. US broadcaster CBS News issued its projection of his win at about 12.30pm Pakistan time. The news agency Associated Press (AP) also declared him the winner.

He defeated Republican Party candidate and former Congressman Mike Rogers. According to CBS News, El-Sayed is the first Muslim to be elected to the US Senate. The seat was earlier held by Democratic Senator Gary Peters, who had decided not to seek re-election.

“Michigan, we won”

According to CBS News, in his victory speech 42-year-old El-Sayed said: “Michigan, we won!” He said he felt “immense pride and honour” at becoming a senator-elect. He addressed Vice President JD Vance as “habibi” and said to President Trump: “Donald, I know you have had trouble saying my name.”

Who is Abdul El-Sayed

El-Sayed was born in Michigan; his father had come to the United States from Egypt. He is a doctor and public health expert and has served as head of the Detroit city Health Department. In 2018 he was a candidate in the Democratic Party primary for Governor of Michigan. According to CBS News, he contested the election on a left-wing platform and won the party ticket by defeating a moderate candidate in the Democratic primary.

A hard-fought campaign

During the campaign, President Trump and Senator Ted Cruz launched sharp attacks on El-Sayed and called him a “jihadist” and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed told Fox News: “I have never been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and never will be.”

In his campaign he opposed US support for Israel. According to CBS News, the ongoing war with Iran and high petrol prices also hurt the Republicans. His opponent Mike Rogers is a 63-year-old former soldier and former FBI agent, who also lost the 2024 Senate race by about 20,000 votes.

Michigan’s Muslim community

Michigan is home to the largest Arab American population in the United States, especially in Dearborn, near Detroit. Muslim Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has also been elected from the same state. In the state, Democratic candidate Jocelyn Benson has also won the governor’s election.

These results are based on initial projections. Official results will be announced after the counting of votes is complete.

Cover photo: Wikimedia Commons / Conlin Houston (CC BY-SA 4.0)