El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Race, Renews Criticism of U.S. Aid to Israel

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, becoming the first Muslim elected to the chamber.

Abdul El-Sayed has become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. [Photo: Abdul El-Sayed]

His victory followed a campaign marked by controversy over his criticism of Israel and U.S. military assistance to the country.

El-Sayed addressed those issues in his victory speech, while also making a pointed reference to President Donald Trump, who had previously mispronounced his name.

“Up until right about now, you might have noticed I always say ‘Inshallah,’ or ‘God willing,’ whenever the outcome of this race was mentioned,” El-Sayed said. “But today, tonight, we can turn that Inshallah into Alhamdulillah!”

He then explained the phrase to his critics, saying, “For the right-wing ops, that just means ‘praise be to God.’” The senator-elect also criticized U.S. spending on Israel, saying: “We don’t want our money sent to do apartheid, or genocide, or war.”

El-Sayed has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and opposed continued U.S. military assistance.

During a pre-election interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, he also argued that American policy was inconsistent with its stated support for a two-state solution. His victory makes him the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate and gives Democrats a victory in a closely watched Michigan contest.