Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has won a highly coveted Michigan Senate seat, becoming the first Muslim to serve in the US Senate when he takes office in January.
In his victory speech on Wednesday, El-Sayed declared that American taxpayers should not fund Israel’s war against Palestinians, while taking aim at President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and pro-Israel lobbying groups.
“I am so proud and honored to stand here as your senator-elect,” he said to cheers and applause.
El-Sayed also addressed the Islamophobic remarks directed at him by Trump and Vance during the campaign.
“To all the parents who struggled to explain [to their kids] why the president openly mocked someone for their name or how they pray, let them know tomorrow that the bad guys lost,” he said.
The senator-elect specifically challenged Vance, making a reference to his constitutional responsibility to swear in newly elected senators.
“JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you’re constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January,” he said, Middle East Eye reported.
He also had a message for Trump, who had repeatedly mocked his name.
“Donald, I know you struggle with my name, so after JD swears me in in January, you can just go on and call me Senator,” El-Sayed said.
His victory marks a significant moment in American political history, particularly for Muslim representation in the country’s legislature.
A progressive candidate, El-Sayed shocked the Democratic establishment when he narrowly defeated Haley Stevens in the August Democratic primary.
Stevens had received backing from pro-Israel lobbying groups, while El-Sayed secured an early endorsement from Bernie Sanders, the Senate’s leading progressive voice and Vermont senator.
During his campaign, El-Sayed repeatedly challenged the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other pro-Israel lobbying organisations, which spent tens of millions of dollars campaigning against him.
Addressing AIPAC’s financial involvement in the race, he said: “To AIPAC who spent $42 million against us. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to beat you twice.”
He also defended his position on Palestinian rights, rejecting attempts to portray criticism of Israel’s actions as hatred.
“They try to call you hateful if you believe that Palestinian kids should get to grow up in the land of their forefathers without being murdered by our tax dollars,” he said.
“If you believe in equal rights for peace, diginity and self-determination that’s not hate, it’s love,” he added.
El-Sayed also called for American taxpayers’ money to be directed towards domestic priorities rather than supporting Israel’s military operations.
“We want our taxes spent here…we don’t want our money sent to do apartheid or genocidal war,” he said.
The primary contest attracted significant attention, with an additional half a million Democratic voters participating compared with previous primary elections, which typically record low turnout.
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel disclosed the figures at the time, highlighting the significance of the contest.
In the later stages of his campaign, El-Sayed received the endorsement of former US President Barack Obama, one of the most influential figures within the Democratic establishment.
Who Is Abdul El-Sayed?
The 42-year-old politician’s full name is Abdulrahman Mohammed El-Sayed.
He is married to an Indian-American doctor, and they have two daughters.
El-Sayed graduated from the University of Michigan, where he delivered the commencement address in 2007. Former US President Bill Clinton, who was the event’s keynote speaker, praised his public speaking abilities.
He subsequently earned a medical degree from Columbia University and served as head of the public health departments in Detroit and Wayne County.
His political ambitions are not new. In 2018, he unsuccessfully contested the Michigan governorship, using the campaign to advance his vision for Medicare-For-All, a proposed national health insurance programme.
Since then, rising private insurance premiums in the US have helped increase support for universal healthcare, particularly among progressive voters.
El-Sayed has also consistently criticised the close relationship between Washington and Tel Aviv, a position that draws comparisons with Zohran Mamdani, the popular New York City mayor.
Throughout his political campaigns, El-Sayed has maintained that he has never met with corporate lobbyists.
He has also said he raised money exclusively from individual donors, rather than corporations, in both campaigns.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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