Democrat Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate after defeating former Republican Representative Mike Rogers in Michigan’s closely watched midterm race.
U.S. media projected El-Sayed’s victory on Tuesday, securing the seat left vacant by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters and marking a milestone for Muslim political representation in the United States.
Anadolu Agency reported that the 42-year-old Egyptian-American and former public health official will take office when the new Congress convenes in January.
El-Sayed captured the Democratic nomination following a competitive August primary against Representative Haley Stevens.
Prominent progressive leaders including Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib endorsed El-Sayed’s campaign.
His platform prioritized reducing housing costs, curbing the influence of wealthy donors in politics, expanding healthcare access through Medicare for All, and broadening economic opportunities for working-class families.
U.S. policy toward Israel also served as a central focal point of his campaign.
El-Sayed called for an end to unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel and condemned its military operations in Gaza as genocide.
The issue generated sharp divisions within the Democratic Party, culminating in Stevens—whom El-Sayed defeated in the primary—endorsing Rogers just two days before the general election.
El-Sayed rejected claims linking him to radicalism, asserting that such attacks were intended to divert public attention from the economic challenges facing everyday Americans.
Backstory…
El-Sayed, born to Egyptian immigrants in Rochester Hills, Michigan, pursued an extensive background in public health and medicine prior to entering politics.
After graduating from the University of Michigan in 2007, he attended the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, earning his doctorate in public health in 2011.
He subsequently earned his medical degree from Columbia University in 2014.
Appointed as Detroit’s health director in 2015, he oversaw the restructuring of the city’s public health infrastructure following its municipal bankruptcy, serving in the position until 2017.
In 2018, he launched a campaign for governor of Michigan, ultimately losing the Democratic primary to Gretchen Whitmer.
He later served as director of the Wayne County Department of Health, Human, and Veterans Services from 2023 to 2025.
