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Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed has won the Senate election in Michigan, defeating Republican Mike Rogers to secure the state\u2019s Senate seat.<\/strong><\/p>\n With his victory, El-Sayed is set to become the first Muslim senator in Michigan\u2019s history.<\/p>\n Reacting to his election victory, the newly elected senator thanked the people of Michigan. \u201cI am so proud and honored to stand here as your Senator-elect for the great state of Michigan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Addressing President Donald Trump, El-Sayed remarked that Trump had previously struggled to pronounce his name and said, \u201cFrom now on, you can simply call me Senator.\u201d<\/p>\n El-Sayed is up against Republican Mike Rogers.<\/p>\n In his remarks, Abdul El-Sayed did not reach across the aisle, portraying his campaign as one of hope and Rogers\u2019 as one driven by corporate interests.<\/p>\n \u201cWe spoke of a brighter, a bigger, more hopeful Michigan. Theirs, an astroturfed, corporate-funded advertising campaign built to deceive and distract,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAt first, they pointed to my name and my faith as if to say, you know, he\u2019s a little different. And when it didn\u2019t work, they tried to guilt me by association. And when that didn\u2019t work, they went all in on one of the ugliest campaigns we\u2019ve seen in our lifetimes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey might have been pointing to my name and my faith, but we all know that my name and my faith aren\u2019t the reason you can\u2019t afford your gas, they\u2019re not the reason you can\u2019t afford your groceries, not the reason you can\u2019t see a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n