Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers to hold Michigan's seat, on Tuesday night, making him the first Muslim to be elected as US senator.
Following his win, El-Sayed remarked in his victory speech, "My name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, and I am so proud and honored to stand here as your Senator-elect from the great state of Michigan. Up until right about now, you might have noticed I always say 'Inshallah' or 'God willing' whenever the outcome of this race was mentioned. But today, tonight, we can turn that 'Inshallah' into a 'Alhamdulillah!'"
He added, "to all the parents who struggled to explain why the president openly mocked someone for their name or how they pray: let them know tomorrow that the bad guys lost."
‼️ JUST NOW: In his Michigan Senate victory speech, @AbdulElSayed says, in an Arabic accent "My name is Abdulrahman Mohammad El-Sayed," now feeling free to be himself. He goes on to use more Arabic, saying "alhamdulillah" & translates that to "praise be to God." Making it clear that he will embrace Islam very openly in office.
— Houman David Hemmati, MD, PhD (@houmanhemmati) November 4, 2026
Abdul El-Sayed: The bad guys lost. https://t.co/qgTWIP7nR7
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 4, 2026
He also wrote on X, "It is my honor and privilege to be headed to the US Senate to serve the great state of Michigan. Michigan, we did what they said couldn't be done. We won. Together. Now the real work begins."
It is my honor and privilege to be headed to the US Senate to serve the great state of Michigan.
Michigan, we did what they said couldn't be done. We won. Together. Now the real work begins. https://t.co/ITgNRyUkNc
— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) November 4, 2026
El-Sayed has sparked controversy over his remarks about relations between Israel and the United States. He accuses Israel of genocide, calls for a complete halt to US military assistance to the country and does not recognize its right to exist as a Jewish state.
Asked in an ABC News interview whether Israel was a US ally, El-Sayed replied, "An ally that takes your money to push you into wars you shouldn't be fighting is not an ally." "I think it's time for us to realize that Israel is actually not our friend," he added.
Referring to the powerful pro-Israel lobby the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, he said "to AIPAC, who spent 42 million dollars against us, thank you for giving me the opportunity to beat you twice."
He added "And I want to say something here. See, they try to call you hateful if you believe that Palestinian kids should get to grow up in the land of their forefathers without being murdered by our tax dollars. If you believe in equal rights to peace, dignity, and self-determination, that's not hate, it's love. Michiganders, we want our taxes spent here. For schools here, and healthcare here, and infrastructure here. We don't want our money sent to fund apartheid, or genocide, or war."
At a Sunday rally in Michigan, President Donald Trump called El-Sayed "a jihadist" and joked that he would have to pass through a metal detector before being allowed into the Senate. Trump also invited the father of Todd Beamer - a passenger who resisted the 9/11 hijackers - to join him on stage. Referring to Todd's actions, Trump said that Michigan needed to fight El-Sayed "just like Todd did to stop a jihadist." Critics denounced the remarks as Islamophobic.
Trump: "You have Mohammed, Mohammed, Mohammed, Mohammed, Mohammed. Everybody is basically. If you're in doubt about somebody's name from the Middle East, just say 'Mohammed.' You have about a 65% chance." https://t.co/TTM3bNfBrz
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 16, 2026
Responding to Trump's use of his middle name, Mohammad, El-Sayed told supporters at his own event: "I'll be Senator Mohamed to you, bro."
Addressing Trump, he said: "Donald, look, I know you struggled with my name. So after JD swears me in in January, you can just go on and call me Senator."
El-Sayed's familial ties to organizations linked to extremist groups have come under scrutiny during the race as well. Federal terrorism-designation records have thrust the family history of El-Sayed into view, with The New York Post detailing that his birth mother, Fatten Elkomy was once employed at a charity labeled by the US Treasury as a "global terrorist" organization – a body whose foreign branches stood accused of directing funds to Osama bin Laden, Hamas, and Taliban operatives.
Elkomy – identified in The Midwesterner's investigation as Fatten Fathy Elkomy – was employed at the Islamic American Relief Agency between 1999 and at least 2004, coinciding precisely with the year Treasury authorities formally designated IARA a supporter of international terrorism.
Video: social media
As a blue wave swept the country on election night, Democrats regained control of the Senate and delivered a stinging repudiation of Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported. Democrats picked up North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa from Republicans. New Hampshire and Georgia, meanwhile, stayed in Democratic hands.
Deep-red states produced the night's most striking surprises, The Wall Street Journal noted. Texas Democrat James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton, the state's Republican attorney general, in the Senate contest, while Gina Hinojosa ended the three-term run of Gov. Greg Abbott. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton unseated Sen. Roger Marshall, the Republican incumbent, marking the first Democratic win of its kind there in almost a century. Annie Andrews toppled Darline Graham, the Trump-allied GOP senator from South Carolina, and Josh Turek captured Iowa's open seat for Democrats. With GOP Sen. Thom Tillis stepping aside, North Carolina's vacant seat went to former governor Roy Cooper. In Georgia, Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is a prominent critic of Trump, fended off Republican Mike Collins.
