Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, the Associated Press projected early Wednesday. El-Sayed will become the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Senate.
El-Sayed had 51.9% of the vote to Rogers’ 46.1% with an estimated 87% counted, according to AP’s unofficial tally. The win kept the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters in the party’s hands as Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress.
“You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates,” El-Sayed told supporters in Detroit as he declared victory. “Thank you. This is all yours.”
El-Sayed, a former public health official and the son of Egyptian immigrants, made Medicare for All a centerpiece of his campaign. He won the Democratic nomination in August after narrowly defeating U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. The primary split carried into the final weekend of the general election, when Stevens endorsed Rogers after appearing with him at a Detroit church.
Rogers, a former congressman who chaired the House Intelligence Committee, lost his second Senate bid in two years. In 2024, he narrowly lost to Democrat Elissa Slotkin even as President Donald Trump carried Michigan. This time, with an open seat and Senate control at stake, Michigan voters again sent a Democrat to Washington.
