DETROIT: Democrat Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s US Senate election on Tuesday, becoming the first Muslim elected to the chamber, according to media projections.
El-Sayed, 42, defeated Republican Mike Rogers and retained the seat of retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters for his party.
The former public health official campaigned on reducing household costs and limiting corporate influence in politics. His proposals included Medicare for All, a government-funded universal healthcare programme.
The victory gave the Democratic Party’s progressive wing a win in a state where Republicans had hoped to gain a Senate seat.
Rogers, 63, a former congressman and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, received strong backing from President Donald Trump.
During the campaign, Rogers sought to associate El-Sayed with the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed denied the allegations, which lacked supporting evidence.
Read: Democrats Flipped the House And Senate In The 2026 Midterms
Democrats criticised the attacks as Islamophobic. El-Sayed opposed US military assistance to Israel and described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide.
Rogers later broke with Trump over the war in Iran and the US trade dispute with Canada. He argued that ending both would help reduce costs for businesses and consumers.
Separately, Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Senator Roger Marshall in Kansas. Hamilton became the first Democrat elected to the US Senate from Kansas in 94 years, overturning Republican control of the seat.
The United Methodist pastor campaigned on affordability and cooperation across party lines. His campaign gained ground despite Trump’s victory in Kansas by more than 16 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance had both campaigned for Marshall. In his victory speech, Hamilton said voters believed “what’s happening in Washington is not okay.”
With input from Reuters, Associated Press and CBS News
