MICHIGAN — Abdul El-Sayed, a far-left Islamist Democrat from Detroit, clinched victory in one of the biggest races of the 2026 midterms to become the first Muslim senator in U.S. history.
El-Sayed was leading his Republican opponent Mike Rogers by over three points with 75% of ballots counted, and that lead is likely to grow into the night. Decision Desk HQ called the race at 1:15 a.m. Eastern Time Wednesday morning. Rogers had trailed El-Sayed in nearly all polls leading up to the election.
El-Sayed’s victory proves the Democratic Party’s new far-left faction can win not only in places like New York and California, but can secure victory in the swing states that decide national elections.
While El-Sayed does not consider himself a socialist, he won the endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America and ran a campaign that mirrored New York Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s.
During the campaign, evidence of a deep web of connections between El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood emerged.
El-Sayed’s parents immigrated to the United States from Egypt. The Daily Wire previously reported his father was a part-time imam. His father-in-law is a founding committee member of the Islamic S...