Abdul El-Sayed becomes first Muslim elected to US Senate

Summarised from 4 outlets · 6 reports · Updated 6 Nov, 14:31 · Archive

Abdul El-Sayed, a physician and former Detroit health director, defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate race, becoming the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.

Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's US Senate race on Tuesday, defeating Republican Mike Rogers and becoming the first Muslim ever elected to the US Senate. El-Sayed, a physician and former Detroit health director aged 42, won with approximately 52.5% of the vote to Rogers' 45.5%.

The campaign was marked by vigorous Republican attacks on El-Sayed's background and faith. At a town hall, when asked if he would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood, El-Sayed responded with a counter-question: 'What are you implying?' This exchange went viral. El-Sayed told the Associated Press in October that he was 'not shying away' from such insinuations.

Despite opposition related to his stance on Israel, El-Sayed won majorities among Black voters and Jewish early voters. He received a larger share of the vote than Kamala Harris or Senator Elissa Slotkin in 2024 in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. In his victory speech in downtown Detroit, El-Sayed thanked voters for taking 'a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates'.

Students at the University of Michigan, where El-Sayed once helped lead the Muslim Students' Association, celebrated his victory. Young voters cited cost of living as a driver of their turnout. El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, takes his seat in January.

The Guardian's Peter Beinart argued that El-Sayed's victory revealed that debate over US policy toward Israel 'pits the top versus the bottom', with wealthy pro-Israel donors backing his opponents but no grassroots enthusiasm in Michigan for maintaining US military aid to Israel.

How it is being reported

• Oxford, Bethnal Green and the Guardian: surprising British backstory of senator-elect Abdul El-SayedIn a Guardian article in 2010, the Oxford Rhodes scholar said UK democracy had the ‘upper hand’ over the US US politics live – latest updates In the tense final hours before his dramatic election as senator for Michigan in this week’s midterms , Abdul El-Sayed had a heated encounter with a British TV journalist that rapidly went viral. As James Matthews of Sky News tried to ask him a question, El-Sayed bit back . “Why would I care to have a conversation with you?” he demanded of Matthews, placing both hands on the reporter’s shoulders in a gesture of emphasis. Continue reading...The Guardian · 6 Nov, 14:00
• ‘Shawarma law’: Abdul El-Sayed never shied away from Islamophobic provocationsThe successful Democratic contender for a Michigan Senate seat parried the many insinuations lobbed by Republicans Abdul El-Sayed said he did not expect to be “a main character of this midterms”, but the first Muslim elected to the US Senate in history will take his seat in January after a vitriolic campaign that cast him as the central villain of the president and his party. By October he told the Associated Press he was “not shying away” from those rightwing fixations. “What are you implying?” El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, replied when a town hall attender asked if he would…The Guardian · 6 Nov, 12:46
• Abdul El-Sayed did not have to become less Muslim to winHis historic victory in Michigan shows that Muslim Americans need not abandon their identity to succeed in politics.Al Jazeera · 6 Nov, 07:53
• Whoopi Goldberg is putty in Abdul El-Sayed's hands as The View host shamelessly flirts with newly-elected Michigan senatorEl-Sayed, 42, became the first Muslim to be elected to the US Senate on Tuesday, soundly defeating Republican Mike Rogers as Democrats swept races across the nation.Daily Mail · 5 Nov, 18:26
• Abdul El-Sayed’s victory has laid bare a truth about America's view on Israel | Peter BeinartIn Michigan, support for Israel was a kind of political hologram. But the media often made it seem real Among the things that Abdul El-Sayed’s victory last night in the Michigan Senate race revealed is this: the debate over US policy toward Israel does not primarily pit the left versus the right. It pits the top versus the bottom. There was no grassroots enthusiasm in the state for maintaining US military aid and weapons sales to Israel. That view no longer commands support even among ordinary Republicans . There was instead a massive infusion of pro-Israel money, mostly from extremely…The Guardian · 5 Nov, 15:24
• University of Michigan students rally behind Abdul El-Sayed after his Senate win over Mike RogersAbdul El-Sayed's Michigan Senate win sparked celebration at the University of Michigan, where young voters say cost of living drove turnout.Fox News · 5 Nov, 11:49

In this story: Abdul El-Sayed · Mike Rogers · Michigan · University of Michigan · Haley Stevens · Kamala Harris · Elissa Slotkin

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