El-Sayed becomes first Muslim U.S. senator

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's closely watched U.S. Senate race, the Associated Press projected. He will become the nation's first Muslim senator. Why it matters: El-Sayed's win shows how an unapologetically progressive candidate can win in a battleground state President Trump carried just two years ago. The two candidates competed for the seat vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, with Republicans hoping to flip a seat Democrats have held for decades. But the GOP failed in its endeavor — and already lost its Senate majority. The race took a stunning turn in its final days, when Democratic U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, who narrowly lost the August primary to El-Sayed, endorsed Rogers. The move sparked furious backlash from Democrats and prompted several of Stevens' staffers, including her chief of staff, to resign. The big picture: El-Sayed, a former Detroit health director, ran on a progressive platform centered on Medicare for All, taxing billionaires, and reducing corporate influence in politics. His victory comes after a contentious Democratic primary and a bitter general election campaign that featured personal attacks over his background, medical credentials and Muslim faith. Rogers, a former congressman and FBI agent who narrowly lost a 2024 Senate bid, sought to portray El-Sayed as too extreme for Michigan. El-Sayed cast Rogers as a Washington insider aligned with Trump. Trump himself escalated the attacks in the final stretch of the race, questioning El-Sayed's loyalty to the U.S., and making unsubstantiated allegations of extremist ties. El-Sayed rejected the accusations. Between the lines: El-Sayed's win offers progressives a powerful new argument in the Democratic Party's debate over how to win back voters. Zoom out: Both candidates put affordability at the center of their campaigns, but offered sharply different solutions. El-Sayed called for universal health care, tackling medical debt and higher taxes on billionaire wealth. Rogers emphasized tax cuts, expanding domestic manufacturing and more transparent health care prices. He also campaigned on stronger border security and immigration enforcement. What's next: El-Sayed will arrive in Washington with an ambitious progressive agenda — but turning campaign promises into legislation will be a different challenge. His signature Medicare for All proposal faces steep political obstacles, even if Democrats win control of the Senate. His victory also gives progressives a new national figure as Democrats begin looking toward the 2028 presidential election.

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