DETROIT, Mich. — Voters sent Democrat Abdul El-Sayed to Washington in Tuesday’s election, choosing him over Republican Mike Rogers for the state’s open Senate seat and making him the first Muslim ever elected to that chamber.
The race was called at 2:27 a.m. Wednesday. With about 96% of the expected vote counted, El-Sayed had 52.5% to 45.5% for Rogers, a lead of roughly 330,000 votes that held near 7 points through the overnight count.
El-Sayed claimed victory before supporters in Detroit early Wednesday, calling himself senator-elect and pushing back on attack ads aimed at his faith and background by arguing that rising gas prices, not his name or religion, are what voters care about.
He will replace Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who chose not to run for a third term. The win extends a long dry spell for Michigan Republicans in Senate races; Rogers came up just short against Elissa Slotkin two years ago, when President Donald Trump carried the state.
A former public health official and the son of Egyptian immigrants, El-Sayed had never held elected office. He finished well back in the 2018 Democratic primary for governor before this run. His campaign leaned on Medicare for All, getting outside money out of elections and criticism of Israel.
His path was expensive and divisive. The August primary against U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens drew close to $60 million in outside spending, including almost $30 million against him from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Two days before the election, Stevens endorsed Rogers.
Rogers, a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, ran with the field cleared for him by Republicans but had to contend with high fuel prices, tariffs and the war with Iran while staying aligned with Trump.
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