Democrat Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Race Over Republican Mike Rogers
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has won the U.S. Senate seat for Michigan, defeating Republican Mike Rogers. Reuters reported that El-Sayed is the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.
El-Sayed claimed victory around 1:30 a.m., according to Bridge Michigan. He is 42 years old, according to NPR, and he previously served as Wayne County health director. He ran as a progressive Democrat, a label the Associated Press used in its coverage of the race.
The seat opened when Gary Peters, a Democrat who had served two terms, retired. In the Democratic primary, El-Sayed narrowly defeated Representative Haley Stevens. The two later campaigned together in Detroit, the Associated Press reported.
Rogers is a former Republican U.S. Representative. He lost his first bid for the Senate in 2024. Under a Republican nominee, Michigan had not elected a Republican to the Senate since 1994, Al Jazeera reported, and the race drew well over $100 million in advertising since the August 4 primary.
The campaign also drew national attention to remarks about El-Sayed's religion. The Associated Press reported that President Donald Trump intensified anti-Muslim rhetoric against El-Sayed during the race.
