Democrat Abdul El Sayed wins Michigan Senate race, will become first Muslim senator

Detroit: Democrat Abdul El Sayed won Michigan's US Senate race over former Republican lawmaker Mike Rogers, US networks said early Wednesday, making him the first Muslim elected to the upper chamber of Congress.

"Michigan, we did it!" El Sayed said in a speech attended by hundreds of supporters who screamed and hugged each other at his election headquarters in Detroit.

"I am so proud and honored to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan."

El Sayed won despite a last-minute curve ball in his campaign when congresswoman Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed, came out in support of Rogers at the 11th hour.

The Michigan medical administrator rallied voters on leftist campaign promises, including universal health care, to win a key US Senate seat for Democrats, taking over from the retiring Gary Peters.

El Sayed held a nearly six-point lead on Rogers when networks called the race.

"We are sick and tired of being sick and tired. And I'm so proud of all the work. It was boots on the ground. We were always out, but we were never outworked," said party-goer entrepreneur Trunetta Roach, 75, who attended El-Sayed's victory party in downtown Detroit wearing US flag-design diamante high-heels.

"I'm feeling elated. The kids are all right. I was concerned about them. They didn't seem very engaged, but I was wrong. They showed up."

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]