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Democratic · Michigan

Abdul El-Sayed

U.S. Senator-elect from Michigan

Abdul El-Sayed is the Democratic U.S. Senator-elect from Michigan and the first Muslim American elected to the Senate. He beat Republican Mike Rogers 52.5% to 45.5% on Nov. 3, 2026 (AP data via NBC News, 97.5% in), holding the seat for Democrats.

2026 race
U.S. Senate, Michigan
Result
Won (hold): El-Sayed 52.5%, Rogers 45.5% [Source]

Biography

An epidemiologist and physician from southeast Michigan, El-Sayed was a Rhodes Scholar, ran the Detroit Health Department from 2015 to 2017 and led Wayne County's Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services from 2023 to 2025. He defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary; Stevens endorsed Rogers days before the election. In his victory speech he said: "You chose hate, and Michigan chose hope."

Positions

  • Progressive Democrat; outspoken critic of the Israeli government (CBS News)

Record

  • Executive director, Detroit Health Department (2015–2017)
  • Director, Wayne County Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services (2023–2025)
  • Won 2026 Democratic Senate primary over Rep. Haley Stevens

Life & background

Things you might not know, from public records.

  • He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, where he earned a doctorate in public health, and later earned his medical degree from Columbia. [Source]
  • He ran the Detroit Health Department from 2015 to 2017. [Source]

Coverage

Sources

  1. 2026 Senate Results: Democrats retake control — NBC News (AP data)
  2. 2026 Senate midterm election results as Democrats win control — CBS News
  3. Abdul El-Sayed – Wikipedia — Wikipedia

Updated