Abdul El-Sayed, a left-wing Democrat, won a Senate seat in Michigan early Wednesday, 4 November, defeating Republican Mike Rogers in one of the tightest races of the midterm elections and becoming the first Muslim to serve in the United States Senate.
El-Sayed, 42, a former public health administrator, prevailed after a bitter campaign in which he faced heavy outside spending and attacks from President Trump, who backed Rogers. Rogers portrayed his opponent as a communist and criticized his position on Israel and his Muslim faith. El-Sayed was also baselessly tied to terrorism.
The seat was previously held by Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat who is retiring. The victory further cements Democratic control of the Senate after a wave of wins, including in heavily Republican areas.
El-Sayed took the stage in the early morning hours to deafening cheers from supporters, who chanted his name and his slogan. They said, “Money out of politics, money in your pocket and Medicare for all.”
He thanked them for taking a chance on “the unlikeliest of candidates” and said the campaign against him was among the ugliest in their lifetimes.
He ran on universal health care and a wealth tax on billionaires, campaigning alongside Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The son of Egyptian immigrants, he described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide and called for ending American aid to the country, an issue of particular weight in Michigan, home to the nation’s second-largest Arab-American population, and a pivotal swing state that voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and Donald Trump in 2024.
The race was also shaped by a Democratic feud. Representative Haley Stevens, whom El-Sayed defeated in the primary, endorsed Rogers days before the election. Party leaders called the move “a despicable betrayal,” and her staff reportedly resigned en masse.
El-Sayed said he did not “think about Haley Stevens.” Her primary campaign had received millions of dollars in backing from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Muslim voters in the crowd described the moment as historic. “If someone with the name of Abdul can make it, that means this next generation can look up and say that they can too,” one supporter said.
Similarly, Adam Hamawy, an Egyptian-born Democrat, won New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, defeating the Republican Gregg Mele to become the first Muslim elected to Congress from the state.
Hamawy, 56, a plastic surgeon, retired Army combat doctor, and humanitarian medical volunteer, will succeed Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, who is retiring. An Iraq War veteran, he gained national attention for his medical work in Gaza in 2024, when he was among doctors stranded after Israel closed the Rafah crossing. Senator Tammy Duckworth, whose life he helped save after her helicopter was shot down in Iraq in 2004, helped secure his departure.
He campaigned on Medicare for all, ending military aid to Israel, canceling medical and student debt, and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The wins came amid broad Democratic gains in the 2026 midterms. Democrats won control of the Senate, including victories in Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina, and moved closer to a House majority, a setback for Trump and Republicans as voters voiced concern over living costs.
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