Michigan has remained in Democratic hands, dealing a setback to Republicans who had hoped to flip the state and add some support to their narrow majority.
Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive who became a prominent target of Republican messaging about Democratic policies, is projected to defeat former Rep. Mike Rogers in one of the election’s most closely watched races.
In his victory speech, El-Sayed thanked AIPAC, which spent about $42 million opposing him, saying the group had given him the chance to defeat the pro-Israel organization twice. He marked the win with the Arabic phrase “alhamdulillah,” meaning “praise be to God.”
He also had a pointed message for Rogers. “Enjoy your retirement,” El-Sayed said. “You chose hate, and Michigan chose hope. May we never have to see the likes of you in this state again.”
Rogers, meanwhile, told supporters shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday that they should head home, warning that it would be a “long night.” Organizers told the Detroit News the hotel had asked them to leave by then.
During the campaign, El-Sayed faced questions about alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood, his comments on Israel and Jewish voters in Michigan, and criticism from fellow Democrats over his association with political streamer Hasan Piker.
Rogers struggled against broader political pressures weighing on Republicans, including concerns about affordability, President Donald Trump’s trade dispute with Canada and the war with Iran. He had tried to distance himself and the administration from some of those issues.
El-Sayed’s projected win is a setback for Republicans who spent much of the campaign portraying him as a symbol of socialism and communism. That messaging intensified after his unexpected victory over Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat.
El-Sayed would also become the first Muslim U.S. senator. Republicans, including Trump, made his faith a point of attack. At a Michigan rally last month, Trump called him a “jihadist” and said he would “have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate.”
“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 said.
Rogers used similar language in a speech in Bad Axe, Michigan, days before the election. “This is not someone we can let into the United States Senate,” he said, adding that anyone who did not consider Iran an enemy or condemn a Hezbollah-inspired attack had “no business being in the United States Senate.”
While Republicans made El-Sayed a focus of their national campaign, he also criticized Trump. His own campaign, however, largely centered on the cost of living in Michigan.
“They want to point to me and my name and my faith as if somehow that’s the problem, but none of those things are what’s raising your gas prices or making a new home unaffordable,” El-Sayed told reporters last month.
The race drew prominent supporters from both parties. Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and other Republicans campaigned for Rogers. Former President Barack Obama, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont appeared on El-Sayed’s behalf.
El-Sayed’s win does not necessarily mean he will align with the Democratic establishment in Washington. Like other progressive Senate candidates, he has criticized Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and said he would prefer Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland to lead Senate Democrats.
