Abdul el Sayed defeats Mike Rogers in Michigan race, poised to become first Muslim senator

Abdul el Sayed, a progressive Democrat who sharply criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza, defeated Republican Mike Rogers on Tuesday in Michigan’s closely watched Senate race, putting him on track to become the first Muslim elected to the Senate.The Associated Press called the race for el Sayed shortly after 2.25 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday. With roughly 85% of votes counted, el Sayed received 51.9%, while Rogers received 46.1%, and handed Democrats their 54th seat in a night that saw them sweep the board on toss-up Senate seats.El Sayed was able to survive off a dramatic last minute intervention from his primary opponent Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who decided to endorse Rogers at the 11th hour. BLUE WAVE CARRIES SENATE DEMOCRATS BACK INTO POWER FOR FINAL YEARS OF TRUMP PRESIDENCYMichigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed and former Rep. Mike Rogers. (AP) Rogers, a former seven-term congressman and FBI agent, had sought to flip the seat to Republicans as the party fought to preserve its majority. El Sayed’s victory keeps the seat in Democratic hands and delivers a major win for a progressive candidate whose positions on everything from Israel to healthcare made him a target for Republicans and drew scrutiny from some Democrats.Michigan has become one of the country’s most closely divided battlegrounds, with recent statewide elections showing that voters can split their tickets between presidential and Senate candidates.In 2024, President Donald Trump carried Michigan in the presidential race, defeating former Vice President Kamala Harris by 1.4 percentage points. In the Senate contest held the same day, Slotkin narrowly defeated Rogers by just 0.34 percentage points, or 19,006 votes.The close 2024 results followed a series of elections in which Michigan has swung between the parties. Trump won the state in 2016, becoming the first Republican presidential nominee to carry Michigan since 1988, before former President Joe Biden reclaimed it in 2020. Trump then won it again in 2024.That volatility has made Michigan a critical test of each party’s ability to assemble a statewide coalition that extends beyond its presidential base.This year’s Senate race drew national attention in the final days as both parties deployed some of their biggest political names. Former President Barack Obama campaigned for el Sayed, while Trump headlined a rally for Rogers and other Republicans. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) also appeared in Grand Rapids for el Sayed.The Senate candidates offered sharply different visions for Michigan during their campaign events and two televised debates, clashing over healthcare, the economy, education, and foreign policy.El Sayed highlighted his support for “Medicare for all” and criticized Rogers for opposing the Affordable Care Act. Rogers argued that el Sayed’s single-payer proposal would cost trillions of dollars and limit patients’ choices.Rogers portrayed el Sayed’s agenda as too far to the left for Michigan voters while seeking to distinguish himself from some of Trump’s policies, including tariffs. El Sayed repeatedly tried to tie Rogers to the president’s agenda and his MAGA base.El Sayed’s criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza became one of the most contentious issues of the campaign, creating friction with some Jewish Democrats and giving Rogers an opening with voters concerned about the Democrat’s foreign policy positions.EL SAYED SPENDS THOUSANDS ON PRIVATE SECURITY WHILE PROPOSING SOCIAL WORKERS FOR 911 RESPONSEState Rep. Noah Arbit, who founded the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus, criticized el Sayed after he told ABC News that Israel was not a “friend” of the United States. Rogers repeatedly sought to use the issue to appeal to Jewish voters. In the final days of the campaign, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the country’s leading pro-Israel lobby, made a massive last-minute donation to support Rogers. AIPAC typically does not back Republicans in competitive general election races.The candidates also competed aggressively for black voters, another constituency with significant political influence in Michigan.