# Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate race

> Progressive Democrat and first Muslim elected to US Senate defeats Mike Rogers in closely divided state.
- Title: Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate race · TIME | Shortify
- Summary: Progressive Democrat and first Muslim elected to US Senate defeats Mike Rogers in closely divided state. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat and…
- Keywords: abdul el-sayed, michigan senate race, mike rogers, 2026 midterm elections, first muslim senator, democratic party, israel-gaza war, haley stevens, aipac, trump, progressive democrats, TIME
- Source: TIME — https://time.com/article/2026/11/03/abdul-el-sayed-michigan-senate-2026-midterm-elections-mike-rogers
- Author: Nik Popli
- Published: 2026-11-04T07:30:00+00:00
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: abdul el-sayed, michigan senate race, mike rogers, 2026 midterm elections, first muslim senator, democratic party, israel-gaza war, haley stevens, aipac, trump, progressive democrats, news
## El-Sayed defeats Rogers in Michigan
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat with a public health background, defeated former Representative Mike Rogers on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.
## First Muslim elected to US Senate
El-Sayed's victory makes him the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate, representing a milestone in American politics.
## Democrats keep Michigan seat
El-Sayed's win keeps the seat in Democratic hands, denying Republicans one of their best opportunities to gain ground in this year's midterm elections.
## About El-Sayed
El-Sayed, forty-two, is the son of Egyptian immigrants born and raised in suburban Detroit. He is a Rhodes Scholar and Columbia University graduate with a medical degree.
## Progressive victory in battleground state
Unlike other progressive victories in reliably Democratic districts, El-Sayed's came in a closely divided statewide race where both parties competed for working-class voters and suburban moderates.
## Counters moderate Democratic argument
El-Sayed's win offers Democrats a counterpoint to arguments from moderate figures that progressive candidates are too vulnerable to compete in battleground states.
## Campaign divided over Israel
The campaign exposed deep divisions among Democrats over Israel, drew millions in spending from pro-Israel groups, and culminated in an extraordinary rupture with former primary opponent Representative Haley Stevens.
## Trump's Islamophobic attacks
At a Michigan rally nine days before the election, Trump baselessly described El-Sayed as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and warned his election would bring terrorists to the country.

> If Abdul and the Democrats win, they will open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadis to our shores, creating a nightmare of violence and terror until you cannot even have a Christmas.
## Trump's final attack
The night before the election, Trump wrote on Truth Social that El-Sayed hates Jews, Blacks, and Whites, underscoring the extent to which he had become a national Republican target.

> Abdul El-Sayed Hates Jews and Hates Blacks. Don't feel bad, he also Hates Whites.
## El-Sayed's progressive platform
El-Sayed campaigned on Medicare for All, higher taxes on the wealthy, and challenging corporate money's influence in politics, casting rising costs and wealthy donors as interconnected problems.
## Gaza war and genocide claim
El-Sayed described the war in Gaza as a genocide and argued American assistance to Israel should instead fund domestic needs including schools and healthcare.
## AIPAC opposition
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the influential pro-Israel lobbying organization, spent tens of millions of dollars opposing El-Sayed during the Democratic primary and general election.
## Stevens endorses Rogers
Representative Haley Stevens, El-Sayed's former primary opponent, stunned Democrats by endorsing Rogers just two days before the election at a church service in Detroit.

> I'm here with the person who I am voting for for United States Senate and that is Mike Rogers.
## Stevens' defection extraordinary
Stevens' endorsement was an extraordinary act of defection by a sitting Democratic congresswoman in a race both parties regarded as potentially decisive to Senate control.
## Questions about Democratic future
El-Sayed's election raises questions about how the Democratic Party will accommodate a growing progressive faction whose positions on foreign policy and economic inequality challenge traditional leadership.
## Victory becomes party touchstone
For a Democratic Party debating how to rebuild its coalition and confront Trump, El-Sayed's victory is likely to become a touchstone in the argument over what kind of party Democrats want to become.
## Key takeaway

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat and public health expert, defeated former Representative Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate race, becoming the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate.