Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Abdul El-Sayed, and his wife, Sarah Jukaku, react on stage after his victory in the U.S. midterm elections, during an Election Night rally, in Detroit, on November 4, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed said early on Wednesday (November 4, 2026) that he had won a US Senate seat in Michigan over former Republican lawmaker Mike Rogers, which would make him the first Muslim elected to the upper chamber of Congress.
“Michigan, we did it!” Mr. El-Sayed said in a speech 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.”
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Mr. El-Sayed won despite a last-minute hiccup 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 doctor rallied voters on leftist campaign promises, including universal health care, to hold a key U.S. Senate seat for Democrats, taking over from the retiring Gary Peters.
Republicans ran a scorched-earth campaign to paint Democrats as communists and branded Mr. El-Sayed a terrorist who would endanger Americans.
But the straight-talking 42-year-old El-Sayed pledged to help cash-strapped voters navigate America’s thorny health care system.
“You deserve to be able to see a doctor without getting a huge bill,” he told Michiganders on the eve of the vote, vowing to upend America’s divisive multi-billion-dollar for-profit medical system.
During the race, Mr. El-Sayed drew huge campaign crowds across the state, even in deeply conservative Republican areas.
Mr. El-Sayed also vowed to get “money out of politics” and address the harsh economic woes that have voters yearning for a political newcomer to shake up the status quo.
The election makes Mr. El-Sayed the first Democratic doctor in the Senate since 1969.
Published – November 04, 2026 12:33 pm IST
