Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Race, Takes Aim at Trump and Vance in Victory Speech
Democratic socialist Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan's Senate race, and he wasted no time going after President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and his Republican opponent in a combative victory speech.
El-Sayed defeated former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, according to projections from major news organizations. The win keeps the seat in Democratic hands and makes El-Sayed the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.
It capped a night that went badly for Republicans across the country, in House, Senate and governors' races alike.
“The Bad Guys Lost”
El-Sayed used his election-night remarks to attack Republicans over a bruising campaign that often focused on his left-wing politics, his Muslim faith and his criticism of Israel. He accused his opponents of going “all-in on one of the ugliest campaigns we've seen in our lifetimes.”
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“They might have been pointing at my name and my faith,” he said, before turning to voters struggling with the cost of gas and groceries.
Trump attacked El-Sayed repeatedly in the closing weeks of the race, including calling him a “jihadist” and questioning whether he belonged in the Senate. El-Sayed has denied claims that he was tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, telling Fox News he never belonged to the group.
In his speech, El-Sayed accused the president of mocking his name and religion and told parents upset by those attacks to tell their children “that the bad guys lost.”
A Jab at Vance and Rogers
He then turned to Vance, with whom he clashed throughout the campaign. As vice president, Vance is in line to preside over the Senate when new members take the oath. “There is this delicious irony in the fact that you're constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January,” El-Sayed said.
He followed that with a nod to the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, a dig at the Ohio-born Vance: “Wolverine one. Buckeye zero.”
His harshest words were saved for Rogers, a former congressman and Army veteran making his second straight run for the Senate. “Enjoy your retirement,” El-Sayed said. “You chose hate, and Michigan chose hope.”
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Israel Split the Democrats
El-Sayed also repeated his opposition to U.S. support for Israel, saying Americans want their tax money spent at home. The issue became a major fault line in the race, especially after Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Rogers days before the election.
Stevens, who lost the primary to El-Sayed, accused him of tolerating rhetoric she found unacceptable. El-Sayed said the controversial ad at the center of the dispute came from an outside group. Her endorsement of a Republican was an extraordinary break with her party's nominee, but it was not enough to carry Rogers to victory.
Republicans tried to make El-Sayed a national symbol of the Democratic Party's progressive wing. Trump, Vance and Sen. Ted Cruz campaigned against him, while Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez backed him.
Judging by his speech, the fights surrounding El-Sayed are far from over. He arrives in Washington ready for confrontation with Republicans, and possibly with some members of his own party.