Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed declared victory early Wednesday in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, defeating Republican Mike Rogers and becoming the first Muslim elected to the Senate.
Abdul El-Sayed © X
Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed declared victory early Wednesday in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, defeating Republican Mike Rogers and becoming the first Muslim elected to the Senate.
“Michigan, we did it!” the physician and son of Egyptian immigrants told supporters in Detroit after projections showed him ahead roughly 51–52% to the mid-40s.
Endorsed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, El-Sayed ran on a left-wing platform of Medicare for All and higher taxes on the wealthy after beating moderate Democrat Haley Stevens in the primary. In a late twist, Stevens endorsed Rogers, citing El-Sayed’s “obsessive” focus on Israel and saying she was no longer welcome in his campaign.
El-Sayed has been a sharp critic of U.S. support for Israel. He has accused the country of genocide in Gaza and apartheid in the West Bank, called Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal, and said Israel is “not actually our friend” or an ally—comparing the relationship to a friend who exploits family and draws them into unwanted fights.
He has resisted clearly affirming Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, instead stressing equal rights for Palestinians and Jewish Israelis, and has argued U.S. aid should go to domestic needs. These views drew heavy AIPAC spending against him and alienated parts of Michigan’s Jewish community.
Critics have also raised family associations with the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed has denied personal ties and publicly disavowed the group. His half-sister, however, posted that their mother was active in the Brotherhood as a student in 1970s Egypt and that the family “has long been MB.”
His biological mother worked for the Islamic American Relief Agency, later designated by the U.S. Treasury for terror-financing links including to al-Qaeda’s precursor network, bin Laden, the Taliban, and Hamas; she was never charged. He also signed a 2012 letter supporting Brotherhood-backed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.
The win marks a clear victory for the Democratic left in a key Midwestern race, even as questions over Israel policy and family background remain prominent.
Israel’s main opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot seized on Donald Trump’s announcement that US security funding to Israel will end, calling it proof that Benjamin Netanyahu can no longer be trusted and must be replaced.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he made a deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington would stop $4 billion in funding to Israel after the end of this year.
Moody’s has raised its growth forecasts for the Israeli economy, but cautions that the stronger headline figures overstate the health of domestic activity.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.
