Democrat Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate race, set to be first Muslim US senator

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has captured Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, beating Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, The Associated Press projected, according to NPR reporting carried by LAist and to Boston 25 News.

El-Sayed is set to replace Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat who chose to retire, and will make history as the Senate's first Muslim member, the outlets reported. NPR called the result a key gain for Democrats as they try to regain control of the chamber.

A former public health official and the son of Egyptian immigrants, El-Sayed has not previously held elected office, the Anchorage Daily News reported. He led public health agencies for Detroit and Wayne County, NPR reported, and he lost a 2018 bid for the Democratic nomination for governor by more than 10 points, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

He ran on creating a government-run, single-payer health system, known as Medicare for All, and on limiting corporate and outside money in elections, according to both outlets. The Anchorage Daily News reported that Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supported his bid, while Barack Obama and Kamala Harris appeared with him in Detroit.

NPR reported that El-Sayed edged Rep. Haley Stevens in the August primary by roughly one point, though Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Peters had backed Stevens. Outside groups poured close to $60 million into that contest, the Anchorage Daily News reported, with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee spending almost $30 million against El-Sayed, more than it has put into any other single race.

Some Jewish voters objected to his criticism of Israel, the outlets reported, citing remarks he made after an attack on a synagogue preschool in the Detroit area, which he later apologized for, and his appearances with streamer Hasan Piker. Stevens, who had first said she would support the party's nominees, endorsed Rogers on Nov. 1.

According to NPR, El-Sayed said Rogers and other Republicans, among them President Donald Trump, used Islamophobic attacks against him. The Anchorage Daily News reported that Republicans tried to tie him to terrorist groups without any evidence.

Trump endorsed Rogers, who lost a close 2024 Senate contest to Elissa Slotkin. The Anchorage Daily News reported that Rogers had difficulty addressing voter worries about higher prices connected to tariffs and the war in Iran. "The war with Iran needs to end, and end quickly," Rogers wrote on social media in September, that outlet reported.

Separately, the AP projected that Democrat Eli Savit beat Republican Doug Lloyd in the race for Michigan attorney general, Michigan Radio reported.

Compiled by True News from reporting by Michigan Radio, LAist, Anchorage Daily News and Boston 25 News. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/748