Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has become the first Muslim U.S. senator after defeating Republican Mike Rogers in a bitterly contested race overshadowed by an eleventh-hour betrayal from his former primary rival.
The 41-year-old progressive’s win was among the political shocks of midterm election night, when Democrats reclaimed control of both the House and Senate in a major setback for Donald Trump during the final two years of his presidency.
“Michigan, we did it,” El-Sayed declared to supporters shortly after 1:30 a.m. Eastern time.
“To President Trump, I know you struggle with my name. So after JD swears me in, you can just call me senator,” he said, referring to the vice president.
His victory came after a dramatic final week, when former Democratic primary rival Haley Stevens shocked party leaders by endorsing Rogers on the eve of the election.
Stevens followed her endorsement with a series of attacks on El-Sayed, triggering a furious Democratic feud. Her defection ultimately energized his campaign, however, as prominent Democrats and major donors rallied around the nominee.
El-Sayed’s campaign collected $2.4 million on Sunday, its biggest one-day total, while Stevens appeared with Rogers at a church event to reinforce her bipartisan endorsement.
Republicans had not won a Michigan Senate race since 1994, had not captured this particular seat since 1972 and had not won a non-presidential statewide contest in the state since 2014.
Abdul El-Sayed wins the Michigan Senate race after surviving a late defection from a former rival that rattled Democrats
El-Sayed overcomes a stunning midterm betrayal after former Democratic primary rival Haley Stevens endorsed his Republican opponent
El-Sayed, who received support from former President Barack Obama at a rally, centered his campaign on the rising cost of living and the Iran war. He told voters that “Donald Trump’s war in Iran is on the ballot.”
“Your gas prices are on the ballot,” he repeatedly told voters.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Los Angeles Mayor Race Remains Too Close to Call as Votes Counted
According to AAA, gasoline was selling for about $4.83 a gallon in Michigan.
Trump, meanwhile, traveled to Michigan to boost Rogers, headlining a rally with the Republican candidate and launching harsh personal attacks against El-Sayed and his supporters.
“If Abdul and the Democrats win, they will open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadis to our shores, creating a nightmare of violence and terror until you cannot even have a Christmas,” Trump told thousands of people gathered in Port Huron.
Trump claimed El-Sayed “would be screened and unable to get a seat on an airplane. They certainly should not give him a seat in the United States Senate.”
He also criticized Jewish voters who supported El-Sayed, saying, “Any Jewish person that supports this guy should be ashamed of themselves.”
El-Sayed largely avoided engaging with those attacks, instead steering his response back to household costs.
At an event in Grand Rapids, he said Republicans were trying “to point at me and my name and my faith. But my name and my faith are not the reason you can’t afford your gas.”
El–Sayed and former Vice President Kamala Harris take part in a roundtable on reproductive health at Birth Detroit in Detroit, Michigan
Rogers shakes hands with Trump during a rally ahead of the midterm elections at an entertainment complex in Port Huron, Michigan
Rogers and conservative surrogates actively questioned El–Sayed’s loyalties, alleging connections to groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, claims El–Sayed strongly rejected as Islamophobic attacks designed to distract from policy issues.
Heading into Election Day, public polling aggregators pointed to an exceptionally tight race, showing El–Sayed holding a narrow lead with a few percentage points over Rogers.