Abdul El-Sayed wins senatorial race in Michigan, becomes 1st Muslim U.S. senator: AP
The Democratic candidate won with 52% of the vote, declared the Associated Press at 3:27pm SGT.
Abdul El-Sayed has become the first Muslim senator in U.S. history, after winning the senatorial race in Michigan. The 42-year-old Democratic candidate secured almost six percent more votes than his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, as reported by the Associated Press. Born to Egyptian parents, El-Sayed pursued a medical career, earning a PhD in public health from Oxford and serving as Detroit's health director. He took office as the youngest senator in the U.S. Senate.
In his victory speech, El-Sayed expressed his relief and gratitude, replacing the phrase "inshallah" with "alhamdulillah" – a transition from Muslim hopeful to grateful American senator. The election was highly scrutinized as Michigan is a swing state, known for its unpredictability in presidential elections.
The campaign faced backlash from both outside and within the Democratic party. Donald Trump frequently insulted El-Sayed's religion and political beliefs, while some Democrats, including Haley Stevens, distanced themselves from him due to allegations of antisemitism. Despite the controversies, El-Sayed secured endorsements from prominent Democrats like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and former President Barack Obama.
Written by urgent.news from Mothership's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
