Abdul El-Sayed: Progressive US physician-turned-public-health official leads Michigan Senate race

Democrat Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, a progressive physician-turned-public-health official, is poised to be the first-ever Muslim senator in the US.

El-Sayed leads Republican Mike Rogers 50.5% to 47.7% with 41% of Michigan votes counted in Michigan’s open Senate race.

With about 41% of the vote counted, El-Sayed led 50.5% to 47.7%, and four independents split the rest.

As of 12:50 pm GMT+8, Nov. 4, the AP had not called the Michigan Senate race, with 2,036,599 votes counted so far. [Live count as of 12:50 p.m. GMT+8, Nov. 4. The AP had not called the Michigan Senate race.]

Earlier counts showed his lead shrinking, from 52%-46% with nearly 20% in to 50.5%-47.6% at 42% in, per Deadline Detroit.

A number of US news outlets including The Washington Report, has already called Michigan, declaring El Sayed's win in the state's US Senate rate.

Born Oct. 31, 1984, in Rochester Hills to Egyptian immigrant parents, he was raised in the Detroit area.

He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Michigan in 2007 with degrees in biology and political science.

He earned a doctorate in public health at Oxford’s Oriel College as a Rhodes Scholar, then a medical degree from Columbia University in 2014.

He did not pursue residency and is not licensed to practice medicine, which opponents seized on during the campaign.

He taught epidemiology at Columbia, then became Detroit’s health director in 2015 at age 30. He ran for governor in 2018, losing the primary to Gretchen Whitmer with about 30% of the vote, and led Wayne County’s health department from 2023 to 2025.

El Sayed launched his Senate bid in April 2025 as a progressive who backs Medicare for All and takes no PAC money.

He won the Aug. 4 primary with 48.5% after Mallory McMorrow withdrew, defeating Rep. Haley Stevens.

He drew fire over remarks on Israel and apologised in August for comments after a March attack on a Detroit-area synagogue.

Rogers and allied groups outspent him by roughly 3-to-2, and Rogers lost narrowly to Elissa Slotkin two years ago. If elected, El-Sayed would be the first Muslim and first Egyptian-American in the Senate.

Michigan is a Senate "battleground" that tests whether a left-wing outsider can win a state Trump carried in 2024, while Democrats seek a Senate majority after wins in Georgia and New Hampshire.

The seat could help decide Senate control. A win would also make El-Sayed the first Muslim senator and send a signal about the Democratic Party’s progressive wing.

Watch remaining ballots, especially from Detroit-area counties. His lead has narrowed through the night, and Rogers would need about half of the remaining vote to overtake him. The AP call and certification follow.

[With inputs from AP]