Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed has won the Senate election in Michigan, defeating Republican Mike Rogers to secure the state’s Senate seat.
With his victory, El-Sayed is set to become the first Muslim senator in Michigan’s history.
Reacting to his election victory, the newly elected senator thanked the people of Michigan. “I am so proud and honored to stand here as your Senator-elect for the great state of Michigan,” he said.
Addressing President Donald Trump, El-Sayed remarked that Trump had previously struggled to pronounce his name and said, “From now on, you can simply call me Senator.”
El-Sayed is up against Republican Mike Rogers.
In his remarks, Abdul El-Sayed did not reach across the aisle, portraying his campaign as one of hope and Rogers’ as one driven by corporate interests.
“We spoke of a brighter, a bigger, more hopeful Michigan. Theirs, an astroturfed, corporate-funded advertising campaign built to deceive and distract,” he said.
Abdul El-Sayed, an Egyptian-American Muslim born in Michigan, addressed the torrent of racist and Islamophobic attacks he faced during the race against Rogers.
“At first, they pointed to my name and my faith as if to say, you know, he’s a little different. And when it didn’t work, they tried to guilt me by association. And when that didn’t work, they went all in on one of the ugliest campaigns we’ve seen in our lifetimes,” he said.
“They might have been pointing to my name and my faith, but we all know that my name and my faith aren’t the reason you can’t afford your gas, they’re not the reason you can’t afford your groceries, not the reason you can’t see a doctor.”
