Democrat Abdul El-Sayed declared victory in Michigan's Senate election on Wednesday morning, Norwegian time, according to VG. At 42, he becomes the first Muslim senator in American history.
The win caps a campaign in which El-Sayed's faith, name and loyalty to the United States were repeatedly attacked. Speaking to cheering supporters at his election-night gathering, he took aim at his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers.
"Enjoy your retirement, Mike. You chose hate. Michigan chose hope," El-Sayed said, as quoted by Newsweek via VG.
Why it matters
The result is part of a wider Democratic sweep. VG reports that the party has secured both chambers of Congress — the Senate and the House of Representatives — after an election in which all 435 House seats and about a third of the Senate's 35 seats were up.
That outcome sharply limits President Donald Trump's room to maneuver. With Republicans holding majorities in both chambers, Trump had been able to push his agenda through largely unopposed, according to VG. A Democratic-controlled Congress makes that far harder.
Midterm elections also tend to punish the party holding the White House, VG notes.
A campaign fought over identity
Trump repeatedly targeted El-Sayed during the race, calling him a "jihadist" and questioning his allegiance to the US. On Truth Social, the president described him as a "radical extremist and terrorist sympathizer" and claimed the Senate would need metal detectors if he were elected, VG reports.
El-Sayed has denied any ties to extremist groups and described the attacks on his loyalty as disgraceful.
"I'm not running to be a Muslim senator. I'm running for the US Senate and happen to be Muslim," he said during the campaign, according to VG.
Other Republicans also went on the offensive. Senator Bernie Moreno questioned whether El-Sayed, as a Muslim, could accept that Americans' rights come from God and that Jesus came for humanity's salvation, VG reports. Rogers focused more on El-Sayed's political affiliations but asked in a debate whether the Democrat was loyal to the US or to "terror groups abroad."
CNN analyst Stephen Collinson characterized the rhetoric directed at El-Sayed as among the most discriminatory of a modern American campaign, according to VG.
El-Sayed pushed back on the framing during the race. "There are small people in this country with small ideas. They think they can point at my name and say scary things, and that people will forget the price of fuel and groceries," he told VG.
Taking the stage to Tupac's "Changes" on Wednesday, he opened his speech with what VG described as a pointed jab at those who used his background against him.
"My name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed. And I am so proud and honored to stand here as your elected senator for the great state of Michigan," he told supporters.
Money, policy and a late assist from Obama
The Michigan race was also defined by policy divides and heavy spending. El-Sayed, a progressive physician and former health official, has advocated universal health coverage and has been a sharp critic of Israel and US foreign policy.
Republican backers spent heavily to stop him. By mid-October, outside groups had put nearly $95 million behind Rogers, compared with $42 million for El-Sayed, according to VG. In the primary, AIPAC's super-PAC spent more than $30 million trying to block him, Newsweek reported via VG.
El-Sayed studied at the University of Michigan, the University of Oxford and Columbia University. He ran for Michigan governor in 2018 but lost the Democratic nomination to Gretchen Whitmer. He belongs to the party's progressive wing and campaigns for public health insurance, economic equality and reduced influence from large donors.
Democrats have held the Michigan Senate seat since 1979. El-Sayed takes over from the retiring Democrat Gary Peters.
In the final stretch, former President Barack Obama appeared with El-Sayed before more than 4,350 supporters in Detroit, VG reports.
What to watch next: how the new Democratic majorities in both chambers reshape Trump's legislative agenda, and how El-Sayed's arrival changes the Senate's internal dynamics.
