Progressive favorite Abdul El-Sayed has defeated Republican Mike Rogers in a bitter campaign for Michigan’s open Senate seat, giving the Democratic Party’s left wing a breakthrough victory in one of the nation’s most important swing states. El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, will become the nation’s first Muslim senator.
A former public health official who has never held elected office, he rose from a double-digit defeat in Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary eight years ago to win a seat in the US Senate. El-Sayed overcame massive outside spending in both the Democratic primary and general election with a grassroots campaign built around universal health care, removing outside money from elections and sharp criticism of Israel.
Backed by progressive leaders including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, his victory will bolster the movement ahead of the 2028 presidential election, offering evidence that candidates embracing its agenda can win in critical battleground states.
Republicans had cleared the field for Rogers, a former congressman who narrowly lost a Senate race to then-representative Elissa Slotkin two years ago. But Rogers struggled to balance his loyalty to President Donald Trump with concerns over rising prices tied to the war in Iran and economic turmoil from the president’s tariffs.
