El-Sayed defeats Rogers in Michigan to claim Senate seat
The former public health official becomes the first Muslim senator after a primary that saw AIPAC spend nearly $30 million against him.
By Evelyn Henderson ·
Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers on Tuesday to win an open Senate seat in Michigan, marking a decisive victory for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, will become the first Muslim member of the U.S. Senate. He had never held elected office before this campaign, having lost a gubernatorial primary in the state eight years ago.
El-Sayed built his campaign on a platform of universal health care and the removal of outside money from elections. His strategy relied on grassroots organizing rather than the massive outside spending that characterized both the primary and general election cycles. He faced a well-funded opponent in Rogers, a former congressman and former chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Rogers had narrowly lost a Senate race to Elissa Slotkin two years ago.
The race became contentious early in the cycle due to El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, spent nearly $30 million opposing El-Sayed, its largest single-race investment to date. This spending followed a bruising August primary where El-Sayed defeated establishment-backed Representative Haley Stevens. The primary drew nearly $60 million in outside spending and exposed divisions within the Democratic coalition regarding El-Sayed’s rhetoric.
In the general election, Republicans focused heavily on El-Sayed’s faith and his past statements. They questioned his loyalty to the United States and sought to link him to terrorist organizations, despite a lack of evidence for such ties. El-Sayed addressed these attacks in his victory speech to a crowd in Detroit. He told supporters that Republicans engaged in one of the ugliest campaigns seen in recent years. He noted that his name and faith were not the reason voters could not afford gas.
Rogers struggled to balance his alignment with President Donald Trump against economic concerns in the state. High fuel prices and economic turmoil linked to tariffs and the war in Iran complicated his message. In September, Rogers wrote on social media that the war with Iran needs to end quickly. He attempted to expand his support among Democrats and independents, including Black and Jewish voters, but the political environment remained challenging for the Republican nominee.
The victory positions El-Sayed as a key figure for the 2028 presidential election. Progressive leaders, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, backed his campaign. Ocasio-Cortez joined him for a final swing through the Upper Peninsula and the Detroit area. Former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris also campaigned with El-Sayed in Detroit to help mobilize Black voters.
El-Sayed declared victory early Wednesday morning. He thanked the crowd for taking a chance on him and said, “You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates.” He told Rogers to enjoy his retirement and stated, “You chose hate and Michigan chose hope.”
The result gives the Democratic Party control of both chambers of Congress. Democrats won seats in both battleground and deep-red states. El-Sayed’s win in Michigan, a state Trump won by more than a percentage point two years ago, demonstrates that a progressive agenda can succeed in critical swing states.
Source: The Macomb Daily
