Abdul El-Sayed had an uncomfortable message for US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance as he celebrated his historic election victory in Michigan.
They had used a range of racist labels and rhetoric to target El-Sayed ahead of the midterm elections, which he was contesting against Trump’s handpicked candidate, Mike Rogers. Trump mocked his name, and said that as president, he could call the Michigan physician and former public health official anything he wanted. Trump called El-Sayed a “jihadist”, while Vance described him as a “psychopath”.
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Now, the ۴۲-year-old winner of the Michigan race pointed out, they would soon need to address him as a senator.
“JD, habibi [Arabic term of endearment], it is an irony – you are constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January,” El-Sayed told cheering supporters in the early hours of Wednesday, shortly after he was projected to win the highly contested race.
“Donald, I know you struggle with my name, so when JD swears me in, you can call me ‘senator.’ May we never have to see the likes of you in Michigan again.”
The Democrat’s victory over Republican Rogers on Tuesday made him the first Muslim elected to the US Senate, following a campaign marked by attacks on his faith and criticism of his opposition to US military adventurism in the Middle East, and Washington’s support of Israel.
“To all the parents who struggled to explain why the president openly mocks someone for their name or how they pray, let them know tomorrow that the bad guys lost,” he said in his victory speech.
But beyond the historic significance of his election, El-Sayed focused on his promise to challenge economic inequality, healthcare and the cost of living in the country.
“Michigan, it just shouldn’t be this hard. It shouldn’t be this hard to buy a second bag of groceries or to fill your tank,” he said.
“It shouldn’t be this hard to pay your taxes and know that that money is going to be spent on you and your kids instead of dropping bombs on somebody else and their kids.”
The Muslim physician is set to win more than ۵۲ percent of the vote with more than ۹۵ percent of votes tallied.
His victory is seen as a breakthrough for progressives in the Democratic Party, who have increasingly challenged the party’s status quo over economic inequality and US wars abroad, including steadfast support for Israel.
Moreover, his win carries particular electoral significance, as Michigan is seen as a swing state that Trump won comfortably just two years ago.
Early life
El-Sayed was born and raised in the Detroit metropolitan area of Michigan and is of Egyptian descent.
He has often described his upbringing as that of a typical kid in a “brown” family of immigrants — he was expected to be high-achieving and successful at everything he did.
A physician and public health expert, he studied at the University of Michigan, where he was valedictorian of his ۲۰۰۷ graduating class. At his commencement, guest speaker and former President Bill Clinton praised the incoming senator for his speech focusing on inclusivity and equality.
“I wish every person in the world who believes that we are fated to have a clash of civilisations, and cannot reach across the religious divides, could have heard you speak today,” he said.
He went on to become a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. He also earned a medical degree from Columbia University in New York.
Before entering electoral politics, El-Sayed built his career in public health, working as an epidemiologist and eventually leading Detroit’s Health Department as its executive director.
He later became director of the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veteran Services.
The incoming senator is married to Indian-American psychiatrist Sarah Jukaku, with whom he has two daughters.
Start in politics
El-Sayed first sought elected office in ۲۰۱۸, when he ran for governor of Michigan on what many considered a progressive platform.
He campaigned on expanding healthcare access and challenging corporate influence but lost the Democratic primary to Gretchen Whitmer, who subsequently won the governorship.
Despite the defeat, the campaign helped establish El-Sayed as a prominent voice in Michigan politics.
Political positions
El-Sayed has advocated for universal healthcare, lower living costs and a foreign policy that prioritises domestic needs over military interventions abroad.
He supports Medicare for All, a government-funded universal healthcare programme that would expand coverage to all Americans.
The physician’s campaign has made healthcare affordability a central issue, arguing that access to medical treatment should not depend on a person’s income or employment status.
El-Sayed has also focused on rising grocery and fuel prices, criticising corporate influence over the economy and arguing that working families are struggling to afford everyday necessities.
On foreign policy, El-Sayed has been a vocal critic of US military involvement in the Middle East, opposing the US-Israeli war against Iran and calling for an end to American military assistance to Israel.
El-Sayed blamed the Iran war – which he has described as “stupid” – for higher gasoline prices and inflation, accusing the Trump administration of starting an unwarranted conflict.
He has also called out Israel’s government for committing genocide in Gaza, and argued that US taxpayer money should instead be directed towards education, healthcare and childcare.
“They tried 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 after declaring victory. “If you believe in equal rights to peace, dignity and self-determination, that’s not hate, it’s love.”
The Michigan-based politician has also criticised Trump’s trade war with Canada, arguing that tariffs have hurt his state’s economy, which is closely connected to its neighbour in the north.
Senate campaign
El-Sayed launched his Senate campaign in ۲۰۲۶, seeking to replace retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters in Michigan, a key battleground state.
In August, El-Sayed defeated Congresswoman Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary, delivering a significant victory for progressives and a setback for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which had backed his opponent openly.
Despite initially committing to support El-Sayed in the November election, Stevens endorsed Rogers days before the vote, drawing widespread criticism.
More than $۵۰m was spent during the primary campaign, including at least $۳۰m by AIPAC in support of Stevens.
Similar to his unsuccessful run for governor, his campaign focused on tackling the rising cost of living, expanding healthcare access and reducing corporate influence in Washington.
He also called for ending US military assistance to Israel, putting him at odds with sections of his own Democratic Party.
His campaign also faced Islamophobic attacks and accusations of anti-Semitism.
Following his primary victory, far-right commentators had seized on his use of the Arabic expression “inshallah”, meaning “God willing”, to portray him as a religious threat to the United States.
Trump accused El-Sayed of hating Jews and Israel, while his Republican opponent, Rogers, alleged that he had sympathies and links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
In the last televised debate in October, Rogers suggested El-Sayed had the same supporters as groups like Hamas, implying his platform was a threat to “national security”. El-Sayed vehemently denied the allegations.
On Wednesday, he hit back at those who had tried to weaponise his faith and ethnicity against him.
“We don’t want our money sent to do apartheid, or genocide, or war,” El-Sayed said. Until now, he said, his campaign had used “inshallah” to emphasise their hopes for victory. “But today, tonight, we can turn that inshallah into alhamdulillah [praise be to God].”
