WASHINGTON (AP) – Senator-elect Abdoul El-Sayed told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Michigan voters rejected “a hateful and malicious campaign” after months of Republican attacks on his Muslim identity in one of the most closely watched Senate elections in the country.
El-Sayed said he was “running on adrenaline and caffeine” after his race with Republican Mike Rogers ended. called early Wednesdaygiving Democrats another significant victory in an early swing state by winning a substantial majority in the Senate midterms on Tuesday.
Throughout the cycle, Republicans sought to demonize El-Sayed, born in the United States after his parents immigrated from Egypt. President Donald Trump repeatedly called him a “jihadist” who was “on the side of the terrorists.”
“Michigan proved how great we are. We rejected a hateful, malicious campaign that had nothing to say about the issues and only wanted to show my name and face,” El-Sayed said. “Michiganians rejected this. Every county, every one of them, opposed this.”
AP AUDIO: El-Sayed tells AP Michigan he rejected ‘hateful and malicious campaign’ after months of Republican attacks
In an interview with the AP, Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed said that while becoming the nation’s first Muslim senator is something his young daughters will read about in history books, it was not his primary goal.
In a sign of how combative the race had become, Rogers and El-Sayed had not spoken as of Wednesday afternoon, even after Rogers issued a statement acknowledging the race. In 2024, Rogers called then-Rep. Elissa Slotkin conceded Wednesday morning, before the AP had even called the race.
El-Sayed, who will become the country’s first Muslim senator, told the AP by telephone that the morning was “a time for reflection,” including what his victory would mean for his two young daughters. His 3-year-old son, he says, has no idea what happened, while his 8-year-old son understands but considers it normal.
“Now it’s something they read about in history books,” he said.
With approximately 97% At the end of the vote, El-Sayed held a 7 percentage point lead over Rogers. Every county in the state has tilted Democratic compared to 2024, according to AP voting data.
The AP Voter Poll, an in-depth survey of more than 4,500 Michigan voters, showed Michigan Senate voters were roughly split on whether El-Sayed’s views were “too extreme,” with about half saying they were.
El-Sayed went from a double-digit defeat eight years ago in the state’s Democratic gubernatorial election to a upset victory of an establishment-backed candidate in the primary after being outspent by tens of millions. He said his campaign had proven that “old-fashioned politics can work if you’re willing to do the work.”
El-Sayed, however, quickly looked to the future, saying his victory is “not success” and that “success is what you are able to do with the siege.”
He would not commit to supporting Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer for another term, saying he did not yet know who else might run. Schumer is expected to maintain his leadership position.
“I think we need new leadership and I think people are hungry for it,” El-Sayed added.
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Associated Press reporter Linley Sanders contributed.
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