'No money for apartheid, genocide or war,' El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate race, becomes first Muslim US senator

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s US Senate race early Wednesday, becoming the first Muslim elected to the US Senate after one of the most contentious contests of the midterm elections. El-Sayed, 41, a progressive, defeated Republican Mike Rogers, a former FBI agent and congressman, to fill the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.

Speaking to cheering supporters in Detroit, El-Sayed said he had always said “inshallah,” or “God willing,” whenever the outcome of the race came up. “But today, tonight, we can turn that inshallah into alhamdulillah!” he said. He then quipped: “For the right-wing ops, that just means ‘praise be to God.’”

El-Sayed devoted part of his speech to AIPAC, which supported his opponents in the Democratic primary and the general election. He mocked the group for spending heavily against him and claimed it spent $42 million against his campaign, and that more than $350 million went toward efforts to defeat him, including about $70 million in the primary.

Those figures have not been independently established.

“We don’t want our money sent to do apartheid, or genocide, or war,” El-Sayed said, arguing that American tax revenue should instead finance schools, health care and infrastructure at home. He has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, a claim Israel rejects and Rogers disputes.

Throughout the race, President Donald Trump routinely criticized El-Sayed for his religion, calling him a “dangerous jihadist” and referring to him by the name “Mohammed El-Sayed.” In response, El-Sayed said in his speech. “Donald, I know you struggled with my name... So after JD swears me in in January, you can just go on and call me ‘Senator.’”

The race exposed a divide among Democrats over Israel as well. El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens, a moderate Democrat who supports Israel and was backed by the party’s centrist establishment, in the summer primary.

Stevens was removed from a rally after demanding he condemn an ad supporting him that blamed US military assistance to Israel for rising food prices, and she then announced her support for Rogers.

An exit poll of Jewish voters who cast ballots before Election Day found that El-Sayed received 60% of the early Jewish vote in the Senate race, compared with 79% for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson. Rogers received 36%, and 5% left the race blank.

Among Jewish voters who backed Rogers, 61% said they voted mainly against El-Sayed rather than for the Republican. Among those who did not vote for El-Sayed, 92% cited his positions on Israel and concerns about antisemitism as a main reason, while 22% said they wanted to send a message to the Democratic Party. The poll was completed before Stevens endorsed Rogers on Sunday.