Abdul El-Sayed projected to win Michigan Senate seat in historic election

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is projected to win Michigan's Senate election over former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, according to CBS News. The result keeps the seat under Democratic control following Sen. Gary Peters' decision not to seek another term. El-Sayed also becomes the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.

El-Sayed, 42, previously served as a Michigan health official and campaigned on a leftist platform. His primary victory over a more moderate Democrat prompted questions among national Democrats about whether a progressive could win statewide in Michigan, which has backed President Trump in two presidential elections.

The closing stretch brought scrutiny of El-Sayed's support among Jewish and Black voters, with his opposition to U.S. support for Israel and his broader progressive positions drawing attention. Republicans, including Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, also directed attacks at him. Cruz suggested that Americans could die if his allegation that El-Sayed supported the Muslim Brotherhood proved correct. El-Sayed denied ever belonging to the organization and said he would never join it.

Trump invoked the September 11 attacks and Flight 93 while urging Michigan voters to reject El-Sayed. He referred to Todd Beamer and characterized the Democratic candidate as a jihadist who needed to be stopped from entering the Capitol.

A dispute within the Democratic Party became public just before the election when Rep. Haley Stevens, El-Sayed's former primary rival, endorsed Rogers on Sunday. Stevens had urged El-Sayed to condemn an outside group's advertisement connecting U.S. military assistance to Israel with higher grocery prices. She described the advertisement as antisemitic. El-Sayed said he had not produced it and disagreed with its contents.

Stevens had been expected to join El-Sayed and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn at a Sunday unity event. A day earlier, El-Sayed told reporters he wanted to avoid distracting from the campaign's central issues. Stevens instead appeared with Rogers at a Detroit church and announced her endorsement after the service. She said her decision concerned this particular vote and cited El-Sayed's association with streamer Hasan Piker while accusing the candidate of tolerating hate.

Rogers, 63, is an Army veteran and former FBI agent. He entered the race after losing Michigan's 2024 Senate election to Elissa Slotkin by 20,000 votes. Presenting himself as a practical leader, he criticized El-Sayed's comments and positions concerning Israel, Iran and September 11, along with his connection to Piker.

Republicans faced a challenging political environment shaped by high gasoline prices and an unpopular war in Iran. Although Rogers sought distance from the White House late in the campaign, El-Sayed portrayed him as someone who would reliably support Trump. The projected Michigan result follows a series of Democratic victories in states Trump carried comfortably in 2024.