Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan’s open US Senate seat, beating Republican Mike Rogers. He will be the first Muslim ever to serve in the US Senate.
Gatekeepers News reports that El-Sayed, 42, is the son of Egyptian immigrants and a former Wayne County health director. He takes the seat left open by the retirement of two-term Democratic Senator Gary Peters. No Republican has won a Senate race in Michigan since 1994.
His grassroots campaign was built on progressive policies such as Medicare for All, along with strong criticism of Israel. More than $100 million was spent on advertising after the August primary.
The race was bitter. President Donald Trump told a rally nine days before the vote: “If Abdul and the Democrats win, they will open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadis to our shores.” The night before the election, he posted on Truth Social: “Abdul El-Sayed Hates Jews and Hates Blacks. Don’t feel bad, he also Hates Whites.”
Two days before the vote, El-Sayed’s opponent in the Democratic primary, Haley Stevens, backed his Republican rival. Speaking at a church in Detroit, she said: “I’m here with the person who I am voting for for United States Senate and that is Mike Rogers.”
In his victory speech, El-Sayed answered the president directly: “Donald, I know you struggled with my name. So after JD swears me in in January, you can just go on to call me ‘Senator’.”
He also spoke to families who had followed the campaign: “To all the parents who struggled to explain why the president openly mocks someone for their name…”
“We showed that in a battle between the money and the many that the many can win,” he said. He also promised to keep “taking on the corporations and the billionaires.”
Part of a Democratic wave
El-Sayed’s win came on a night when Democrats took control of both houses of Congress. They won Republican-held Senate seats in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina. NBC News estimated the party would hold about 255 seats in the House, well above the 218 needed for a majority.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said in a joint statement: “Today is a great day for America. The American people have spoken and made clear that they want to see an end to the high costs.” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is set to become Speaker, posted on X: “Victory for America!”
House Speaker Mike Johnson did not concede, but said: “It’s very, very difficult to overcome.”
The midterms also brought success for at least four Nigerian-Americans:
- Will Jawando was elected County Executive of Montgomery County, Maryland.
- Junior Ezeonu, who was born in Onitsha, won a seat in the Texas House of Representatives.
- Oye Owolewa won an at-large seat on the Washington, D.C. Council.
- Carol Kazeem kept her seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
