Democrat Abdul El-Sayed on Wednesday defeated former Republican lawmaker Mike Rogers in a bitter campaign for Michigan’s open Senate seat, making him the first Muslim elected to the upper chamber of Congress.
“Michigan, we did it!” El-Sayed said in a speech at his election headquarters in Detroit.
“My name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed,” he said, to cheers. “And I am so proud and honored to stand here as your senator-elect for the great state of Michigan.”
“You might have noticed that up until now I say ‘Inshallah,’ or ‘God willing’… but tonight we can change that Inshallah to ‘Alhamdulillah,’” or thank God, he said.
"MICHIGAN, WE DID IT!" Abdul El-Sayed celebrates his projected U.S. Senate victory in Michigan, telling supporters he is “so proud and honored” to stand before them as senator-elect. El-Sayed, who repeatedly used the phrase “inshallah,” meaning “God willing,” throughout the campaign, reflects on his victory. Tune in to Fox News Channel now for live midterm election coverage. https://t.co/T1AlfixOkv
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 4, 2026
“We want our taxes spent here, for schools here, and healthcare here, and infrastructure here. We don’t want our money sent to do apartheid, or genocide, or war,” he said, in an apparent swipe at ‘Israel’.
Abdul El-Sayed: We want our taxes spent here, for schools here, and healthcare here, and infrastructure here. We don’t want our money sent to do apartheid, or genocide, or war. https://t.co/k5sbdCyzOb
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 4, 2026
“It shouldn’t be hard to pay your taxes and know that money is going to be spent on you and your kids, rather than dropping bombs on somebody else and their kids,” he added.
During his victory speech, chants of “Free Palestine” were heard throughout the crowd.
El-Sayed is among several strongly anti-Israel voices that won their races in the Democratic Party.
Democrats took both the House of Representatives and Senate in the midterms, with voters repudiating US President Donald Trump, expressing frustrations over high prices, the Iran war, and concerns over government corruption.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar)