Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat in the Nov. 3, 2026 C.E. election, and the Associated Press (AP) projected him the winner. He is the first Muslim senator ever elected, Bridge Michigan reported. His opponent was Republican Mike Rogers.
At a glance
- Milestone: El-Sayed is the first Muslim ever elected to the U.S. Senate, Bridge Michigan reported.
- Result: The AP called the race at 2:27 a.m. on Nov. 4. He led Rogers by nearly 6 percentage points with 85% of ballots counted.
- Catch: Counts were still coming in when reports ran. Results are not official until Michigan certifies them.
How the first Muslim senator won Michigan
The seat opened because Democratic Sen. Gary Peters chose not to seek re-election, Bridge Michigan reported. Al Jazeera called it a rare opening. It also noted that no Republican has won a Senate race in Michigan since 1994.
Rogers ran for the Senate in 2024 and narrowly lost to Elissa Slotkin, Bridge Michigan reported. This year he faced El-Sayed in what Bridge Michigan called the most expensive election in the state’s history. It put disclosed spending above $270 million as of the month before the vote.
The AP called the race at 2:27 a.m. on Nov. 4. El-Sayed had declared victory about an hour earlier. He told supporters, “Michigan, we did it.”
Haley Stevens, his primary rival, endorsed Rogers two days before the election, Bridge Michigan reported. Al Jazeera put advertising alone at well over $100 million since the Aug. 4 primary.
Who Abdul El-Sayed is
El-Sayed was born in Rochester Hills, Michigan, to Egyptian immigrant parents, Gulf News reported. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 2007. He earned a medical degree from Columbia University in 2014.
He also earned a public health doctorate at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He became Detroit’s health director in 2015 and led the Wayne County health department from 2023 to 2025.
He lost the 2018 Democratic primary for governor to Gretchen Whitmer by more than 20 points. This year he won the Democratic nomination in the Aug. 4 primary over Rep. Haley Stevens. He campaigned on Medicare for All and took no PAC money, Gulf News reported.
Bridge Michigan reported that his Wayne County medical debt program has cleared more than $95 million for more than 100,000 residents. That is short of the $700 million goal he set.
What the result does not settle
The count was unfinished when reports ran. Bridge Michigan said its figures reflected 85% of ballots counted. Early tallies also varied by outlet and time, from nearly 52% to 53% for El-Sayed, so final shares may differ.
The win does not change which party holds the seat. Al Jazeera noted that both of Michigan’s Senate seats were already held by Democrats. It said the win does not meaningfully tip the balance in the chamber.
El-Sayed has not yet taken office. Al Jazeera quoted him referring to his swearing-in in January. It also said his politics are considered more left-wing than most of the Democratic caucus.
Read more
For more on this story, see: Bridge Michigan and Al Jazeera
For more from Good News for Humankind, see:
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- Sarah McBride makes history as first trans member of U.S. Congress
- The Good News for Humankind archive on racial justice
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