El-Sayed taunts Trump and Rogers in combative victory speech

Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed took aim at President Donald Trump and Republican opponent Mike Rogers during a sharply worded victory speech Tuesday night in Michigan.

El-Sayed, who defeated Rogers, said his opponents had waged “one of the ugliest campaigns we’ve seen in our lifetimes.”

“They might have been pointing at my name and my faith, but we all know my name and my faith aren’t the reason you can’t afford your gas or your groceries,” he said.

He said Trump’s remarks about him had grown “uglier and coarser.” Addressing parents who might struggle to explain why the president mocked someone’s name or faith, El-Sayed said they could tell their children “the bad guys lost.”

“They want an America that is too small for some of us, but we know America is big enough for all of us,” he added.

El-Sayed also took a jab at Vice President JD Vance, with whom he has clashed repeatedly in recent months. He pointed to the irony of Vance being constitutionally required to swear him in in January, then joked: “Wolverine one. Buckeye zero.”

Turning to Israel, El-Sayed said Americans wanted public money spent at home. “We don’t want our money spent on apartheid or genocidal war,” he said.

He had a final barb for Rogers, telling him to “enjoy your retirement” and adding, “May we never have to see the likes of you in the state again.”

During the campaign, El-Sayed faced questions about alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, his comments on Israel and concerns among Jewish voters in Michigan. He also drew criticism from fellow Democrats over his association with political streamer Hasan Piker.

Rogers, meanwhile, faced broader political challenges for Republicans this cycle, including voters’ concerns about affordability, Trump’s trade conflict with Canada and the war with Iran. He tried to distance himself from some of those issues.

El-Sayed’s win is a setback for Republicans seeking to counter the progressive direction of the Democratic Party. After his surprise victory over Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., Republicans spent much of the campaign portraying him as a symbol of socialism and communism.