Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Seat, Becoming First Muslim in U.S. Senate

Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat, physician, and epidemiologist, won the Michigan Senate seat in the U.S. midterm elections, defeating Republican Mike Rogers to become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. El-Sayed, 42, previously served as executive director of the Detroit Health Department and led Wayne County health initiatives that erased $700 million in medical debt. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Oxford, and Columbia. Born to Egyptian immigrant parents, El-Sayed ran on a progressive platform backed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, advocating Medicare for All and opposing unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel. He faced xenophobic attacks from Donald Trump and JD Vance during the campaign.