Progressive favorite Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in a bitter campaign for Michigan’s open Senate seat. The outcome gives the Democratic Party’s left wing a breakthrough victory in a key swing state.
El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, will become the nation’s first Muslim senator. A former public health official who has never held elected office, he rose from a double-digit defeat in Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary eight years ago to win a seat in the US Senate.
El-Sayed overcame massive outside spending in both the Democratic primary and general election. He built his grassroots campaign around universal health care, removing outside money from elections and sharp criticism of Israel.
Backed by progressive leaders including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, his victory will bolster the movement ahead of the 2028 presidential election. It shows that candidates embracing its agenda can win in critical battleground states.
Republicans had cleared the field for Rogers, a former congressman who narrowly lost a Senate race to then-Representative Elissa Slotkin two years ago. However, Rogers struggled to balance his loyalty to President Donald Trump with concerns over rising prices tied to the war in Iran and economic turmoil from the president’s tariffs.
The campaign also featured bitter attacks over El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel. Trump and other Republicans repeatedly sought to link him to terrorist organizations, despite no evidence of such ties, and questioned his loyalty to the United States.
El-Sayed faced questions about whether he could unite Democrats after a contentious primary, particularly among Black voters in Detroit and Jewish voters in its suburbs. His primary opponent, Representative Haley Stevens, shocked Democrats by endorsing Rogers on November 1, stating that the Democratic candidate had not done enough to address her and the Jewish community’s concerns.
The race became a central point in the national battle for Senate control after two-term Democratic Senator Gary Peters decided not to seek reelection. El-Sayed emerged from a bruising August primary against the establishment-backed Stevens that drew nearly $60 million in outside spending.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee spent nearly $30 million opposing El-Sayed, marking its largest investment in a single race. El-Sayed faced criticism from some in Michigan’s Jewish community over his rhetoric, including his statement that hurt people hurt people following an attack on a Michigan synagogue earlier this year. He later apologized, saying he was sorry to anyone who felt his comments might have been hurtful.
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders helped build momentum for El-Sayed early in the campaign, while Ocasio-Cortez joined him for a final campaign swing through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the Detroit area. Rogers tried to expand his support among Democrats and independents, particularly Black and Jewish voters, but faced headwinds from high fuel prices and the unpopular war with Iran.
